


Truth or Dare?

by ScarletWinter2478



Category: Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier - Fandom
Genre: Betrayal, Bucky Barnes - Freeform, Casual Sex, F/M, Homicide Detective, Love, Murder, Mystery, Romance, Serial Killers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-09
Updated: 2019-02-09
Packaged: 2019-10-25 04:43:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 34,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17718263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScarletWinter2478/pseuds/ScarletWinter2478
Summary: Bucky met Nicole at a bar.  Neither of them were looking for love.   Neither of them wanted a relationship.  What they got from each other was that, and a whole lot more.Nicole Wilson was feisty, foul-mouthed and fiercely good at her job as a local Homicide Detective.  But lately, things hadn't been going so well.  A serial killer was making her and her whole department look painfully inept.  The bodies were piling up and instead of total commitment to solving the case, she found herself seeking comfort in the arms of Bucky Barnes, without a doubt, the most beautiful man she had ever met. He was supportive, attentive and infinitely satisfying. No matter how bad her workday had been, their nights together made everything seem better.When Bucky suggested an unusual suspect as the killer and things started going terribly wrong, Nicole had to draw on every ounce of her own strength to do the right thing.  Thankfully, Bucky was looking out for her.  He would do anything for her.  ANYTHING.





	1. Chapter 1

 

She cornered him in the kitchen, chugging orange juice from the bottle. He thought she was going to give him the business about spreading germs and being considerate of all the others who lived there at the Compound and may want some juice from that bottle.  Instead, she had taken his hand and in that simple, straight forward way of hers, asked him for what she called ’a tiny little favor’.

“Oh no… please Wanda… please don’t ask me to do this,” the disgruntled man pleaded with his friend. “You know I’m no good at things like this.  Ask Steve or Sam or anyone else, please?”

Seeing his discomfort almost made the small woman by his side smile. She knew she was going to have to phrase this in a way that would ease his worries and still get her what she wanted.

“Bucky… sweetie, you know that I would never, ever ask you to do something that I didn’t think you could do. You know that, right?” her voice was soft with the slightest hint of an accent.

Looking down at the floor he made almost silent little grunts and groans in the back of his throat, but Wanda heard them and shook her head, deciding to try another tactic.

“Sgt. Barnes… how often have I asked you to do anything for me?”

The tall, dark-haired man sighed in resignation, “Not often. Hardly ever.” She had him and he knew it.

“Bucky, I promise you, she is totally awesome. Her last couple of relationships ended on sour notes and she is a little gun shy about dating again.  I just thought, since you have been struggling in that department too, maybe the two of you should meet.   And what could be better than a taco dinner with all your friends around?  Natasha, Sharon, Maria and I all know and love her and we all know and love you, to the extent that you allow us to. **And** we all agree you could be a perfect fit for each other.  You don’t even have to pick her up or do anything other than sit with her at dinner and maybe spend a little time talking with her.  Can’t you do that for me, please?”

“Okay. Okay…  I’ll sit with her and charm the hell out of her with my witty repartee’,” the look on Bucky’s face was anything but charming at the moment.  Wanda laughed and clapped her hands together.

“Thank you Bucky!! You won’t be sorry, I promise!  You are really, really going to like her…”

“… Wanda, stop. I said I would do it and I will.  But let me decide if I like her or not, okay?”

At just that moment, Natasha walked in the room, surmising that Wanda had convinced Bucky to give their friend a chance…

“Bucky!! I’m so happy… I have a feeling you two will get along quite well… and she is so smart and funny and”…

“Nat. Please don’t.  I’ve already heard all of that.   You don’t need to try and convince me again.  Now, if you ladies will excuse me, I’m going out for a run.  I’ll see you later.”

Wanda and Natasha stood and watched him leave, his body language screaming that he wished he had said no.   Turning to face each other they both laughed and shook their heads.  “He is not going to know what hit him.”

“Nat, I know that they are both stubborn mules and believe that they don’t need our help, but if we can just get them in the same room, I honestly believe they won’t be sorry.”

The red-head grinned, “Well, no matter what happens, it should be entertaining!”

They both giggled again and headed to the kitchen to see what supplies they needed for their upcoming taco dinner, get-together.

 

Nicole Wilson was sitting in the non-descript sedan, eyes peeled for any activity from the building caddy-cornered from where she and her partner Joe Nash had been parked for the past 3 hours. She knew the feds would be showing up any time now, and frankly, she was happy to hand this asshole over to them. She had no patience with repeat offenders, especially when their crimes escalated to murder.  This guy was the scum of the earth and the world would be a better place without him.

“Want some?” Joe asked her as he held a greasy container of fries in front of her face, waiting for her to help herself.

“No thanks Joe… I thought you were on a diet. I’m not familiar with the ‘eat all the fries you want’ diet.  You’ll have to keep me posted on how that works out for you.”

Joe just shrugged and smiled, “More for me,” before stuffing a handful of the tasty potatoes in his mouth.

Just then a couple more sedans, much newer and better equipped than the one the police detectives sat in, pulled up and several men in suits jumped out. Joe and Nicole both grunted and stepped from their car to fill the agents in on which apartment their suspect was in, his nightly habits, and a bit of info on his immediate neighbors in the apartment building.  In their usual condescending manor, the agents took all the info, simply saying “We’ve got it from here.  If we need anything else, we will contact your precinct,” and with a smug look they turned their backs and walked away.

“Yeah, contact this…” Joe mumbled grabbing his crotch.

Nicki snorted in agreement as they got back in their car, returning to the station house to complete the required paperwork and gather their possessions before heading home for the night. As they reached the parking lot and separated to find their own cars, Joe called out, “Hey! A few of us are meeting at Ricco’s tomorrow night… you wanna join us?”

Shaking her head, she smiled at him, “Uhhh… Sorry, no can do. I promised my girlfriends I would join them at a little get together.  They even got me a date…. I can hardly wait!!”  The sarcasm in her voice was so thick she almost choked on it.  With a hearty laugh Joe nodded and climbed into his car, honking as he drove off.

 

Nicki entered her apartment, locking the door, kicking off her shoes as she walked across the room to stow her weapon in the safe hidden behind a photo on the wall; she left it unlocked as usual. Moving to the fridge where she grabbed a bottle of ICE flavored water, she turned on some music, sat her drink on the coffee table and started stripping off her clothes.  A nice hot shower sounded like a good idea.  Only, it really wasn’t.  As she rubbed the super soapy wash cloth over her body, it only served to remind her how long it had been since she had been touched by anyone other than herself. She took her time, frowning as she remembered the last real ‘boyfriend’ she’d had.  As her hand found that bundle of aching nerves and she stroked herself with a single purpose, her mind kept drawing blanks.  There was that one guy though…she moaned softly as she gave herself the release that she so desperately needed.

_…A couple of weeks earlier, giving in to her baser needs and his undeniable charm, she had brought a strange man home with her. Okay, maybe strange was not the most accurate description.  She had seen him at the club several times and he always nodded at her and offered the occasional smile, but he had never approached her until that night.  They struck up a conversation and discovered that they had a lot in common… and neither could deny the attraction between them.  As the evening went on, Nicole drank quite a bit more than she had intended and even admitted to her new companion that she was feeling no pain and needed to step outside for some fresh air.  He joined her on the dimly lit patio, one thing leading to another and soon he took her back to her apartment._

_However, once they arrived, they sort of danced all around the real reason they were there until he spoke in an amazingly kind voice, “You know, if you’ve changed your mind about… this… it's okay.”_

_“No… it’s just that, I uh... I don’t do this a lot… I mean, I don’t make it a **habit** of bringing men home from the bar…” she grimaced at that… she hadn’t done it often, but more times than she would like to admit._

_He looked at her and smiled, his haunting blue eyes twinkling in a teasing way, “I understand. If this is uncomfortable for you, I’ll just head out.”_

_“Yeah, I mean no…” she shook her head in confusion. “For some reason I just wanted you to know that I don’t... uh, but if you would rather go now… I understand. I kind of spoiled the mood.” She spoke hesitantly, “You **could** stay for a cup of coffee, if you wanted to.”_

_He stepped closer to her and she inhaled deeply; the pleasant blend of his cologne, cigarette smoke, and the liquor on his breath filling her lungs; it was a heady sensation. Leaning in he spoke softly, his voice a little raspy and inherently sexy, “I’ll pass on the coffee… but I wouldn’t mind a good night kiss.  Otherwise it’s going to drive me crazy…”_

_She stopped him there, her lips pressing firmly against his as her arms circled his neck. He had placed his hands on her waist, and now he slipped them further around to her back, pulling her body flush with his own as she leaned into him.  That ‘goodnight kiss’ was turning into some major league groping, well on its way to some delicious foreplay when her phone rang…_

_“Fuck!!!” she didn’t mince words as she groaned, pulling away from him. “I’m sorry… it’s work.  I have to take this…” and that was the end of what should or at least could have been a night to remember.  As she listened to the voice on the phone she mouthed "I'm really sorry" and began straightening her clothing, then ran her fingers through her hair._

_After hanging up, she repeated for the third time, “I’m so sorry.”_

_“It’s okay, really,” he honestly seemed to understand. He finished tucking in his shirt and when she told him there was a car waiting for her downstairs_ , _he kissed her on the cheek and said, “I’ll see you around.” He looked back once and gave her a wink as he walked out, closing the door softly behind him._

_With a deep sigh, Nicole pulled her service revolver from the safe, grabbed her keys, slipped on her shoes and took the elevator down to the lobby, stepping outside where Joe was waiting on her…_

Now, sitting alone in her apartment, she wondered why she hadn’t given him her number. Or why he hadn’t at least asked for it?  Maybe it was a good thing nothing had really happened between them?   Shit… just another missed opportunity.  Life was full of them.

 

Saturday morning arrived with the promise of a beautiful warm spring day ahead. Natasha and Wanda had gone all out, purchasing everything they needed for a full on Tex-Mex dinner, including fun decorations along with paper plates, napkins and several table cloths that matched.  Maria and Sharon were doing their part as well, making a variety of savory, spicy dishes to add to the meal, keeping the constant “ping” sound of ‘new messages arriving’ going throughout the morning and into the afternoon.  Tony walked through once with a quizzical look on his face and after being reminded what the gals were up to, he snapped his fingers and offered a cheerful “Ole’” to the giggling duo.  


Bucky was not quite as cheerful. He really didn’t mind doing Wanda a favor, she had been so good to him over the past year; always taking time to talk with him, allowing him to unload his feelings on her anytime he felt the anxiety, worry and pain building up in his chest.  She was better than any therapist could ever be.   So, when she asked him to do this small little thing, how could he possibly say no?  After all, it seemed like all he had to do was be polite… and he could do that, right?  

With a sigh he stared into the mirror, wondering what had happened to the confidence of youth. Yeah, he had been through a hell of a lot more than most people could even dream of, but that was over now.  He was permitted to relax and have a good time; to meet people and mingle; to be a part of society.  And he wanted that, he really did.  But for some reason, when it came to women… he was struggling.  The world was so different now than in his misspent youth.  He worried that he would do the wrong thing; that he wouldn’t know what to talk about and might say something stupid; that he wouldn’t measure up to what women wanted these days.  So, he mostly did without.  Mostly.

He had barely given it a thought since first asked to play the part of the ‘blind date’, but he took a moment now to wonder what this “awesome, smart and funny woman” was really going to be like. There had been very few details provided so he had no idea how old she was, what she looked like, what she did for a living or any of that.   He supposed none of that really mattered.  It was just going to be an evening of hanging out with a group of people that they both knew… so this should be no big deal.  “C’mon man,” he whispered to himself, “don’t make this a big deal.”

Deciding to hit the gym for a while, he dressed accordingly and spent the rest of the morning keeping his body busy and his mind focused on what he was doing. The evening would roll around soon enough.

***

As the time approached, Bucky walked out into the courtyard where Nat, Wanda, Maria and Sharon were just putting the finishing touches on their decorations. He had smelled the delicious aroma of spicy foods coming from the group kitchen for over an hour now and he was starting to feel anxious to get this thing started… and over with. 

“Hi Bucky!” Sharon called out in her usual warm manner. “How are you doing?”

He nodded, “Hi Sharon… I can’t complain. How about you?”

She smiled brightly, “Oh I’m great! Looking forward to our Fiesta!”

“Right… me too” he practically grimaced before taking his leave to change for the festivities.

The group of women all giggled and headed inside to freshen themselves up.   Happy Hour was set to start in less than 30 minutes and they expected Nic to arrive promptly… they all wanted to be there when she and Bucky were introduced to one another.


	2. Chapter 2

 

By 6:00 PM the drinks were flowing and traditional music played in the background. When the door opened and Nicole walked in with a deliciously spicy smelling casserole dish, she was immediately surrounded by her friends who led her to the group gathered in the courtyard _._

_It had been quite by accident when she first met Wanda and Natasha at a city market early one Saturday morning. The three of them had struck up a conversation and over the next 3 hours of shopping and laughter, a friendship had blossomed.  It wasn’t long before Sharon and Maria were introduced into their group and they had become quite a formidable gang of giggly_ _‘assassins’._

She was introduced to everyone that she hadn’t met before, studying each person, for quirks and tells, the cop in her unable to rest. She had already met Tony and Steve once before and they greeted her warmly. The rest of the group was rounded out by Pepper, Sam, Vision and Clint.  Her stomach did a small little clinch as it seemed her “date” must have bailed out.  And then she heard Nat say, “Here he is…. Nicole Wilson, this is Bucky Barnes…”

Natasha suddenly stopped talking, looking back and forth between the two of them. It was pretty obvious that the couple recognized each other. Bucky had frozen in his tracks, a look of amusement and obvious delight crossing his face.  “Well, hello,” he reached out and took Nicole’s hand.  She seemed shocked at first, but it only took a moment for a somewhat wicked grin to spread across her face as she replied, “Hi there.”

“Okay…So, I take it you two have met before?” Nat looked at Wanda with a bewildered expression.

 “Yes, we… we actually **have** met before,” Nicole began and Bucky jumped in, “Briefly.  We met briefly at a club, a couple of weeks ago.”

“Oh! I see!” Wanda wasn’t going to let this little set-back ruin her mood, “Good then!  We all know each other.  Let’s get this party started!”

Bucky, who had yet to release Nicole’s hand, moved closer to her chuckling softly “Isn’t this a happy coincidence? You look…amazing.”    She was wearing a pair of dusty rose-colored denim jeans, a white sleeveless t-shirt with a sheer long sleeved floral blouse over that, her eyes twinkling as she gave him the once over.

“As do you, Bucky, is it?” she smirked at him, since he had told her his name was James. He was dressed in black jeans, with a silver studded belt and a long sleeved black shirt with the sleeves rolled up.  Nicole mused that, if he added a black hat and a dusty pair of cowboy boots, he would make the perfect “tall, dark stranger” in a cheesy western.

Looking a little sheepish he nodded, “Yeah... James Buchanan Barnes. Bucky to my friends.”

She smiled brightly, “I like it. I shall call you Bucky.” 

He snorted, taking her elbow to guide her to the “bar”.

As the full picture began to come together, Nicole wanted to choke her friends for not telling her they were setting her up with the infamous Winter Soldier aka Bucky Barnes. Of course she had heard of him, who hadn’t? But the fact that they all _worked with him_ in one way or another had somehow managed to escape her… some detective she was.  In her line of work, she mostly avoided news reports and talk shows; she was all about the real world and the facts that she dug up for herself, so she didn’t honestly know a lot about him.  However, that night at the bar, she must have had a lot more to drink than she remembered. Yes, she had noticed his prosthetic, but had honestly been a lot more aroused by other parts of his body to even question the metal appendage. 

She would have to chide herself on all of that later as Bucky was now leading her to the tables of food that awaited them.  She could tell that most of the others wanted to question them about their previous meeting, but had the good manners to just let it go.  Either Bucky didn’t bring many women to these get-togethers and they were all leery of intruding or he brought a different woman every time, which given his good looks seemed feasible, but somehow, she didn’t think so. 

The rest of the evening turned out to be a ridiculously good time. There was a huge variety of delicious food, along with much alcohol to be consumed; silly games to be played; music and dancing and lots of laughter and conversation abounded.   All in all, it was an enjoyable evening for everyone who attended.  When the night air became a little too cool, the party moved inside, where the larger group broke up into smaller groups or couples in the case of Bucky and Nicole.  When they separated themselves from the rest, Wanda and Nat both rolled their eyes, convinced that THEY were responsible for getting the pair together, even if they HAD already met.

“So…” Bucky turned his head to look at her as he leaned over with his arms resting on the railing at the top of the staircase. As he grinned at her, his eyes sparkled in a mischievous way.

“Sooo?” she offered him an innocent look.

“I was just curious...” he looked around, making sure no one was within hearing range. “Are we going to keep pretending that nothing happened that night?”

Moving closer to him, Nicole rested her arms on the railing as well, studying his handsome face before answering, “To the best of my recollection, nothing did happen that night, not really.”

Bucky gave her an amused look, his eyes caressing her face, a smirk tickling the corner of his mouth, “I dunno… as I recall it **, something** was most definitely happening.”

He had turned his body to face hers now, his right hand touching her forearm as his fingers began feathering a gentle pattern on her soft skin.

She looked down and watched as he effortlessly took her hand in his and magically enticed her body to turn toward him so now they were face to face. Their breath mingled as they continued to gaze into each other’s eyes, as if seeing one another for the very first time. She blushed slightly and looked away, seemingly at a loss for words.

“Am I making you uncomfortable? I don’t mean to…” his voice was silky smooth.

Shaking her head, she assured him, “Bucky, it’s not that, exactly. I mean, you know full well how much I was … enjoying your company that night. And yes, if Joe hadn’t called, it’s pretty likely that **something** would have happened. I just can’t help but wonder though, if you were really all that interested or just hoping to hook up for the night?  Did you go back out to try your luck with somebody else?

“uh...NO I didn’t . But I did go back to the club the next night and several nights after in hopes of seeing you there… **and** I’ve only thought of you like, a thousand times since then so you tell me what you think… is there some real interest here?”

Shaking her head slowly from side to side, she snickered, “Well, the truth is, since you didn’t ask for my number… I thought maybe…”

“Really? You had been coming into that joint two or three times a week for three weeks in a row so, for some crazy reason I believed I would see you there in just a few days, but you never showed up!”

Laughing, Nicki responded, “I was working! I go where the leads take me…But I don’t get it.  You don’t really seem like the ‘club’ type.  Why were **you** there so often?”

Bucky groaned a bit, “I hate that place. I had only stopped in because it was convenient, but this sexy little police detective showed up and …”

“You knew all along that I was a cop? Why didn’t you say something?”

“Why didn’t you?”

“I… I don’t know. Why didn’t you tell me you are this big super-hero dude?” 

“I’m no hero. Not even close.  I just figured you had other things on your mind at the time,” he gave her a wicked smile, his face more perfect than any human being she had ever seen, so much so, she shook her head slightly.

“God, you are gorgeous!” the words were out of her mouth before she knew they were even there. Blushing hotly she put her hand on her face, shaking her head slightly.   “I’m sorry. I can’t believe I said that out loud!...”

Bucky laughed good naturedly, “Well, you can’t take it back! Unless you really think I’m freakishly ugly...”

Now she was on the spot… she bit her lower lip and made a face, causing Bucky to laugh even harder. She squeezed his right arm and lowered her head… when she looked up she was laughing too, the sound was like music to Bucky’s ears.

“Okay, okay. I admit it. I find you above average in both looks and charm, however, I’ll deny I said that to anyone who asks,” she giggled, suddenly feeling very much like a school girl whose crush had caught her staring.

“I see,” Bucky sounded amused. “Then **I’ll** admit that I find you outrageously… captivating.  And I’ll gladly admit it to anyone who’ll listen.”

Surprised by his compliment, Nicole couldn’t think of what to say. Thankfully, Sharon walked by at just that moment, “There you two are!!  Stop hiding up here and come down and join us.  I think we are going to play a game of Truth or Dare!!” 

Looking at her with a blend of fear and amusement they spoke in unison, “No thank you!!”

“Oh come on you guys! Don’t be that way. It will be fun!”

“I hate to be the party pooper, but I really need to say my good nights and head home,” Nicole cleared her throat and took a few steps away from Bucky who gave her a look that she couldn’t read.

At that moment, Tony appeared from seemingly nowhere, “I’m so sorry lovely lady, but I can’t allow that! You’ve had far too many of those fruity drinks … what kind of a host would I be to allow you to drive?”

Nicole was preparing to argue with him when Bucky spoke up, “I’ll take her home.”

Nicki’s heart jumped in her chest as she remembered the last time he was at her apartment. “No, no, no!  That’s really not necessary.  I am perfectly fine…”

Bucky was insistent, “Tony, I can drive her, it’s no problem.”

Knowing that Bucky pretty much couldn’t get drunk, Tony looked at Nicole to see if she was agreeable and after a short pause, she sighed and nodded. “Good then, Sgt. Barnes can escort you home and I’ll see to it that your car is delivered to your home bright and early.”

“Oh… let me get my key…”

“No need for that. Everything will be taken care of.” Tony gave her a quick hug and a peck on the cheek, smiling brightly before heading off down the hall.

The next 15 minutes were spent saying goodbye to old friends and new ones. Everyone gathered there had been so warm and friendly, making her feel like a part of the ‘Avengers’ family.  Natasha walked them to the door and cautioned Bucky to drive carefully, and to behave, at which point he gave her a withering look and grunted.  Nat just laughed and whispered in Nicki’s ear, “Have fun!”

Once they reached the garage, Bucky asked her, “Do you mind if we take my bike? We could take the Charger if you would rather…”

Imagining how nice it would feel to have her arms wrapped around him, barreling along the highway (she assumed correctly that Bucky would pretend the speed limit did not apply to him). She smiled at him with a glint in her eyes, “Do you have a jacket I can borrow? I didn’t exactly dress for a bike ride.”

“Yeah, I think I’ve got something to keep you warm,” his smirk spoke volumes and she graced him with an innocent smile.

Several minutes later, she found herself straddling the back of a Harley, wrapped in Bucky’s leather jacket, pressed firmly against his backside, arms encircling him as the wind roared in her ears and the scenery flew past in a blur. When he’d asked her if she had ridden before, she assured him that she had, and now she was thankful for that little bit of experience because she was able to relax and actually enjoy the ride and even more so, the driver.  Her hands rested snugly against his flat stomach, roaming up to his chest as they waited their turn at a couple of stop lights.  She could feel his laughter as he shook his head and she couldn’t help but giggle at his reaction and giving him a squeeze or two.

 

Once they reached her apartment, Nicole was a little unsure of what Bucky was ‘expecting’.   She was so attracted to him it was almost embarrassing, and she blushed again, remembering how close they had come to creasing the sheets the last time he had brought her home…  Now that the opportunity was presenting itself once again, she felt inexplicably shy.

“Hey you,” she hadn’t even noticed that Bucky had moved so near to her and she felt her cheeks flush with heat again. “Is something wrong?” Bucky smiled as he cupped her chin and ran his thumb across the soft pink blush. 

She gave him a weak smile, but it was obvious that there was something on her mind.

“What is it?” his voice was slightly strained. “Is it because now you know who I **really** am and the things that I’ve done?”

“No Bucky… no, it’s not that at all.  I understand that your choice was taken from you… you were forced into a no win situation… I’ve been there myself on occasion… I’m perfectly comfortable with you, just the way you are.”

He offered her a grateful smile, pushing a stray lock of hair out of her eyes. “ _Something_ is bothering you… “

Taking a deep breath, she sat on the couch and patted the spot next to her. Bucky sat down and turned slightly to face her. She looked as conflicted as she felt.  “Bucky, I… its different now.  Before, we were strangers, ya know? No history, no connections, no commitments, and honestly that’s what I’m used to when it comes to … men.  I meet someone I like, we hook up half a dozen times, more or less, and that’s it.  Nobody gets hurt. And I KNOW how awful that makes me sound.  I’m really not a bad person!  I just make a lot of bad choices and…” she was practically groaning as she spoke those words.

Bucky didn’t know what to say… he didn’t think any of that made her a ‘bad person’ and he thought she was being pretty hard on herself. Before he could say anything she went on…

 “I… I drink too much and swear too much and I can be a real bitch sometimes and I don’t even care, or at least I didn’t used to care. But come to find out, you and I, we have mutual friends; People that you care about, people that I care about; people that care about US.  I just don’t want to disappoint anybody.  I don’t…. I don’t even know what I’m talking about…” she covered her face with her hands and sighed loudly.

“Well… that makes two of us,” he spoke so matter of factly that Nicole peeked through her fingers at him; He grinned; She giggled.

Taking her hands in his he scooted closer to her, “You know what I think?”

“What?” she spoke in a near whisper.

“I think you need to forget about all of that other stuff. In this moment, none of it really matters.

He was so close now she could feel the warmth of his body, his masculine scent filling the air she breathed in as he lowered his head, his warm breath feathering the side of her face, her ear, her neck. She tried to control her breathing but couldn’t stop the soft moan that escaped her as his lips met hers. Unlike their last meeting, when lips were bruised, tongues clashed, clothes were ruffled and skin was bared, this kiss was soft, like a gentle caress. He ran his tongue softly across the crease of her lips then nibbled gently on her bottom lip before moving his mouth over hers again, finally stroking her tongue with his own briefly before pulling out to tease her lips again.  Nicole ached for more, but followed his lead and sighed in contentment when he backed away slightly to look at her. It was an oddly satisfying kiss and she smiled at him.

His eyes twinkled as he softly growled, “Truth or Dare?”

Her eyes opened wide then twinkled back as she studied his handsome features, finally answering, “Dare.”

He grinned at her, assuming correctly that she would always pick the “dare”. “Give me, give ‘us’ a chance. Go out with me.  I know this great little restaurant I think you would like; we could find a secluded corner and talk.”

“Didn’t we sort of do that tonight?”

“Yeah sort of… but I could tell you were a little, guarded. I understand why; our friends and my co-workers were all watching every move we made… I felt it too.  I think we can do better, don’t you?”

“Yeah… I just…” Nicole considered it for a moment, “I can’t think of a reason to say no.”

 “Then don’t say no.”  He squeezed her hand, “How about tomorrow night?”

“Tomorrow?” she sounded surprised.

“Nic… I get it. I do.  And I’m promising you right here, right now, I’m not going to pressure you into anything.  I know I’m not the ideal man for a lot of women; I’ve got a lot of baggage and an attitude and… this.” He lifted his left arm slightly and again, she wondered why anyone would be put off by his prosthetic.  Bucky went on, “I think we are a lot alike and honestly, I’ve never really felt that with a woman before.  It’s a little bit scary… and a total turn on!” Bucky winked at her and continued, “Look, it’s as simple as this: I really like you a lot and I’d like to know you better; and if this attraction between us **is** **real,** I want to know that too…”

Nicole studied his face; she prided herself on her ability to detect bullshit… and she didn’t sense any such thing in Bucky. Smiling she nodded, “Okay…You and me.  Look out world…”

Bucky smiled in agreement then stood, “Okay then. I’m going to head out… before you have a chance to change your mind.” She half frowned at him and he quickly added, “But you won’t, change your mind… right?” 

Shaking her head she promised, “No, I won’t change my mind.”

“Good. I’ll pick you up at 6:00.”

As he pulled the door open she called out to him, “Buck… wait,” he turned back to look at her and saw she was shrugging his jacket off, “You might need this.”

Taking the garment in his hand he couldn’t resist kissing her lightly just one more time, then saying good night, he passed through the door, reminding her to lock it as he went. Nicole called after him, “Wait…” she took a few steps out into the hall with him.  Tracing her fingers along the zipper of the jacket he had just slipped on, she stood on her tip-toes and captured his lips in another kiss.  It was slow and deep and so sweet he felt a pleasant stirring below the belt.  Pulling away she whispered softly, “Thank you… for being so understanding, again.  I’ve met a few men who wouldn’t be. I promise, when the time is right, I’ll make it up to you.”

He couldn’t stop the groan that escaped before giving her a grin and saying playfully, “I’ll be looking forward to it.”

She smiled sweetly, “’k; Good night Bucky.”

Bucky nodded, “G’night.”

He watched her walk back into her apartment and listened for the click of the door lock before whispering “Fuck me,” and taking the stairs down to the street. Walking to his bike he zipped up and grinned when he caught a whiff of her perfume, the delicious scent lingering on the soft leather. 


	3. Chapter 3

 

Two men leaned against the brick wall of an old building, smoking, laughing and showing off parts of the tattoos that covered a great deal of each of their bodies. A black car pulled up to the curb as the passenger window lowered and a hand motioned for them to climb in.  Once they were settled in the back, the passenger turned slightly and asked them if they had everything they needed for the job.  Nodding their heads in agreement, they smiled stupidly at each other.  They had been drinking and smoking weed all evening and knew that the wisest thing they could do was just be agreeable.

Darin Kiriakis knew the two of them were not his best men, but the way he looked at it, that made them expendable. He gave them their instructions and stressed that they should keep their eyes open.  The neighborhood they would be ‘visiting’ had experienced several robberies in recent months, so police presence might be more intense than usual.

The two men laughed and then assured the boss that they could handle anything that came along. They had been working together a long time and had a plan for every situation.  Although that _sounded_ good, Mr. K. doubted the validity of their statement but nodded and handed each of them a wad of money, with the promise of more when the job was done.

He dismissed them, and they climbed out of the sedan, only daring to grumble once it had driven to the corner and turned.

“Cheap fucker! He could at least have given us a lift.” 

“Yeah, he probably had a seat at the opera or something. Couldn’t be late for that.”

Both men laughed again and as luck would have it, a van pulled up to the stop and offered them a ride. That was the last time that anyone would see them alive.

+++

 

Sunday morning and the Avenger’s complex was quiet. Bucky yawned loudly as he waited for the coffee to finish brewing in the pot. Steve and Nat walked into the kitchen, their faces betraying their surprise at seeing him there.  They had assumed that he would spend the night with Nicole.  Natasha, thinking the worst, glared at him. 

“What?” he asked innocently, pouring himself a cup from pot that had finished filling.

“What time did you get home?” she asked him straight out.

With a snort Bucky replied, “Well, not that it’s any of your business, I guess it was around 1:00, give or take. Why?”

“I… well, it looked like you and Nicki were getting cozy and I just didn’t expect you home till later today. You didn’t piss her off already, did you?  I know she has a quick temper and you can be quite annoying.”

He was in such a good mood; Bucky couldn’t help but laugh at that. “I didn’t piss her off.  We are going out to dinner tonight where nobody will be analyzing our every move.”

Steve laughed at that and Nat poked him in his side.

“Good. That’s good. She’s a friend and I would hate it if you two didn’t get along,” Nat had softened her look and her voice quite a bit.

“We get along fine. But thanks for setting up the party last night.  It was great… and it helped more than you know.  See you guys later.”  He left the curious couple standing there and headed out to run a couple of errands. He was smiling as he walked toward his car, even humming a song he had heard earlier.   Tony Stark nodded and smiled at him as they crossed paths.

“Nicole’s car is on its way to her apartment, in case you were wondering.”

“Oh! I actually hadn’t given it much thought.  But that’s great!  Thanks Tony.”  Bucky nodded at the man and climbed into his car.  He turned the radio on and waved as he drove off.

Tony looked surprised, but waved back and continued on his way.

 

Nicole awoke with a start. She couldn’t remember the last time she had slept so soundly without serious alcohol consumption as a contributing factor.  Taking a moment to compose herself she stretched and looked around her bedroom for her phone.  She spotted it and groaned when she realized she hadn’t put it on the charger last night and it was dead right there.  With some effort she crawled out of bed, plugged it in and on her way to the bathroom, she peeked out the window.  To her surprise, her car sat parked in its usual spot, just as Tony had promised.  She had no idea what it would be like to have that kind of wealth and influence, but she thought she could probably get used to it, no questions asked!

After a quick shower, she poured herself some juice and dropped in a couple of pieces of bread for toast. While the bread was warming, she dug in the small pantry and found a small shaker of cinnamon sugar mix to add to her toast and butter.  Taking her plate and juice to the table she sat in front of the television, flipping it on to see if there was anything worth watching.  She nearly choked on her juice at the news flash scrolling along the bottom of the screen.  There had been a double homicide over night and she was automatically caught up in what little info they offered. 

With her phone still on the charger, she sat on the floor next to it and called Joe.

“Hey pretty lady! How was your hot date?” Joe was his usual jovial self.

“What?... oh… it was good. What have you heard about this latest homicide?”

“It’s not ours Nic...” They had just picked up a case several days earlier that possibly linked 3 other incidents to the same killer. A serial killer… Nicole was hyped for it.  That sounds sick in a way, but she was very good at what she did and she and Joe worked really well together and had already solved a couple of “almost cold” cases that no one else could. 

“What do you mean, it’s not ours?”

“I mean, totally different in every way. The “M O”, the time of day, the area, all of it.”

She knew him too well, “Joe, what else? You are leaving something out… what is it?”

With a sigh, he answered, “OK…one thing. There were some souvenirs taken…”

“Really? What would that be?”

“The victims were previously covered in tattoos. So… they have a lot of skin missing.”

“Fuck!” Nicole was ready to get dressed and meet him at the scene.

“No. Nic I told you, it is not ours.  It has been assigned to Smith and Green.  They’ve been working it all morning.”

“And how do you know this?”

“Because I knew as soon as you recovered from your night of debauchery, you would hear about it and want to run right over… so I checked it out. It looks more like a copycat killing than the real thing.  Too many things that link the others killings are missing from the scene. The boss made it clear that we are to stay away unless we are called in by the lead detectives.  And I’ll thank you very much to not swear in my ear again.  I’m delicate about things like that.”

His silliness made her laugh, just like always and she took a deep breath.

“Okay then. I have another night of debauchery planned, so don’t be surprised if I don’t show up tomorrow.”

“Fuck that!!” he yelled playfully. “You’ll be there or I’ll come and get you!”

“Right mister delicate… just keep me posted if anything comes up.”

“Will do boss… you enjoy your day off and get some rest. Or some really good sex, whichever comes first.”

“Yeah… I’m hoping for both,” she laughed and Joe snorted.

“See you tomorrow!”

“Tomorrow.” Nicole hung up with a smile lingering on her face as she repeated, “Some really god sex… one can only hope.”

+++

His collection of 'trophies' were scattered throughout the room, some in jars, some pinned to easels, one actually on display in a framed box, like a medal of honor.

He wasn’t crazy or even ‘sick’ as most people would try to label him. He would never hurt a child or an animal or do any of the things that were usually linked to serial killers.  In fact, he didn’t really consider himself a killer.  He put people out of their misery.  The fact that some of them didn’t know or understand the depth of their misery was inconsequential… he could see it.  He saw it every day, all around him.  He was helping them find peace.

The sound of laughter outside startled him from his thoughts as he grabbed up his favorite knife and stood silently, waiting for the intruders to pass. The room he stood in reeked of foul and unpleasant odors and he knew he needed to open the window so at least the formaldehyde fumes in the air could escape.  He had gotten very ill from breathing in too much of it a few weeks prior and it was not something he wanted to experience again.  Yeah, he might be a little crazy, but not stupid.  He laughed as he walked to the bank of windows on the wall and opened a couple of them.

+++

 

Bucky had made all of the arrangements for his night out with Nicole. He wanted it to be special, he wanted her to **feel** special; he’d gotten the impression that she didn’t think very highly of herself…a feeling that he understood all too well.  He had talked the owner of the restaurant into not only reserving the table in the corner, but into setting up several large green plants that would give them even more privacy and some fairy lights and candles to give it what he hoped would be a magical kind of feel. 

There was a chance that Nicole would think he was desperately over doing it… but something told him that she would appreciate the effort on his part, so he was willing to take that chance. More than anything he wanted to make her see that he was for real, not just a guy she met in a bar, which was sort of funny considering he actually **was** a guy she had met in a bar, but… well... he wanted to be more than that.

Smirking at his own emotions; Bucky had left the restaurant and then gone on to do a little shopping where he bought himself a new shirt, a package of white t-shirts and then a matching set of leather braided bracelets that he thought looked pretty cool. He intended on wearing them that night and if Nicole seemed to like them he planned on giving her one. If that didn’t happen, he would just wear both of them … or burn them.  The practical side of him insisted it was no big deal.

 

After she finished her breakfast; Nicole cleared off a spot on the small dining table and spread out a few pieces of newspaper. Taking both her preferred .45 Cal. Glock and her department issued S&W handgun; along with a small box that held the other items she would need, she sat at the table to break down each pistol in order to clean them.  She hadn’t been to the firing range in a couple of months, but she liked to keep her weapons clean and in perfect working condition.  She laid out a couple of sections of the cleaning rod, some small squares of cloth and lubricant.  She set the copper brush to the side since the guns hadn’t been fired since their last cleaning. 

Humming as she worked, she was meticulous and thorough and once she was satisfied, she reassembled the weapons and put them back into the safe. Hidden in the back of her closet, there was a shotgun that she had bought several years earlier but she decided to pass on cleaning it this time.  It’s not that Nicole was a gun freak OR that she was overly cautious… she had seen things in her years as a cop that no one should ever have to see and she was taking no chances with her own safety.  The world could be an ugly, scary place and she wasn’t going to just stand by and be a victim.

Later that afternoon, as she was trying to decide what to wear to dinner and wondering why she was so nervous about it, her phone rang. It was Joe and he sounded totally stressed out.

_“Listen kiddo, I just learned that I’ve got some personal shit to take care of tomorrow, so I’m not going to make it in. I’ve already called to let the Captain know. I just wanted to give you fair warning in case you really do want to make a wild night of it…take tomorrow off too.”_

_“Joe, you are such a dork… Is there anything I can do to help?”_

_“Nah… it’s… it’s not totally unexpected.”_

_“Okay, you do what you need to do. If I recall, we’ve still got a ton of paperwork to finish up and at least a dozen phone calls and statements to take.  I’ll be fine on my own.”_

_“Yeah, okay… but don’t do anything stupid, okay?” Nicole snorted in his ear and he continued, “I’m serious.  Don’t go out on your own… take backup, alright?”_

_“Okay! Okay!  I promise I’ll do everything by the book.  You just take care of your own stuff and don’t worry about me.  I’ll check in with you tomorrow to see how things are going.”_

_“Alright… I’ll be waiting to hear from you. And I’ll want juicy details.”_

_“Pervert.”_

_“Yep. Good night Nic.”_

_“Good night.”_

As she laid her phone on the dresser, she looked at the clock and sighed. She was not a clothes hog but she would be the first to admit that she probably had a little more than she needed, which sometimes made it difficult to chose, so she pretty much just reached in a grabbed a dress.  Nodding as she pulled it out, she decided it was as good as any.  She pushed several pairs of sneakers and boots out of the way before she spotted the red flats she wanted to wear. The dress was white with large wispy red tulips printed on the fabric and red piping along the hem, collar and button placket and any time she could wear a dress and not wear heels, it was good with her.

With that decision made she kicked off her shoes then smiled as she selected the lacy bra and panties she wanted and then picked out earrings and a bracelet and which of her favorite perfumes she would wear. Stripping off the rest of her clothes she took her shower and got ready for her date with Bucky.


	4. Chapter 4

 

As she opened the door, she felt as if the wind had been knocked from her lungs. He stood there smiling, saying something about how beautiful she looked and all she could do was stare at him.  He was wearing dark blue jeans, a crisp white, long-sleeved button-up shirt and had pulled his long dark hair back into a sort of man-bun.  She could tell he had shaved earlier in the day, but a sexy scruff was already shading his cheeks.  He was quite possibly the finest looking man she had ever met.  Finally, she smiled brightly at him, accepting the one perfect long-stemmed rose he held out to her.   As their fingers brushed, his warmth was like a blanket that spread across her body. She mumbled a few words in reply, hoping that whatever she said was making some kind of sense. 

She walked to the kitchen cupboard with the rose and found a vase to put it in, adding water then taking a deep sniff of the flower. He watched her as she busied herself, noticing that she was unable to keep her eyes from flickering over to him every couple of seconds.  The soft color that rose to her cheeks was a sure give away that she was pleased with his efforts and that, so far, he was knocking it out of the park!!

He leaned down and placed a sweet kiss on her cheek asking, “Are you ready to go?”

“Yes… oh… wait, let me close the window first.”

Bucky watched as she moved across the room to close and lock the window that looked out over the street. “You might need a light jacket or sweater.  It’s a little windy out there.”

“Right!” she turned to the closet, the bright smile still on her face. “Thank you,” she whispered as he helped her slip on the thin green sweater.

“Shall we?” he offered his elbow and she grabbed her bag from the end table as she placed her hand on his arm, pulling the door tight as they stepped into the hallway.  


Once they had seat-belted and settled into Bucky’s red Charger, they hit the road and drove the short distance to the restaurant. They were greeted at the door and escorted to the corner where everything was set up perfectly, just as Bucky had requested.  He’d had to pay a nice little gratuity to the owner for his extra efforts, but the look on Nicole’s face was worth every penny, ten-fold.  He helped her with her chair and when he sat beside her she turned to look him in the eyes, her own gleaming with disbelief and appreciation.

“James Buchanan Barnes,” she spoke softly, her hands resting on his, “You did all of this? For me?”

He looked around taking it all in, somewhat pleased with himself, “Yeah… I hope it's okay… not too cheesy or anything.”

Squeezing his hands her smile deepened as she shook her head. “It’s the nicest, kindest, sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me… its perfect.  Absolutely perfect.  Thank you.”

Her voice quivered slightly and it took every ounce of his self control to keep Bucky from pulling her from her chair onto his lap so he could hold her close.

“You’re welcome little kitten. I’m glad you like it.”

Nicole nodded, clearly pulling herself together to keep the tears at bay (she was the first to admit she was a terribly ugly-faced crier), then cleared her throat saying, “I do. I love it.”

Bucky let out an exaggerated sigh of relief, lifting one of her hands to his lips, “How about we check out the menu… and see if you are still happy about my choice!”

He was teasing of course; he had never met anyone who didn’t love the food at this particular Italian restaurant, and Nicole grinned widely, opening the menu while thinking it could be a greasy hamburger joint and not even a very good one, and she would still love it as long as it was Bucky by her side.

She asked him what he recommended and he shared which items were his particular favorites, and she chose from those, even though he assured her she couldn’t go wrong with anything on the menu. Once their orders had been taken and their drinks arrived, they fell into the comfort zone they had found the previous night at the party.  They talked and laughed and drank a little wine; then enjoyed a delicious meal as they talked and laughed some more.

There was no denying the ease that Bucky felt around Nicole. He was as confident and sure of himself as he had been in his youth, flirting and teasing and pouring on the charm.  And she was falling for it, for **him,** more and more with each wink and grin he bestowed on her.  He was everything that the other men she had dated recently were not and she couldn’t help but feel like she was in the middle of a beautiful  dream.  If so, she never wanted to wake up.

When the waiter came back around for the 2nd time since the dishes had been cleared away, he asked if they would like to order some dessert and when Nicole started to decline, Bucky took her hand, “Come on doll, let’s live it up… what do ya say?”

His eyes twinkled and she realized that he really wanted it, but wouldn’t have any if she didn’t.

“Well… alright then. You order for both of us… I’ll eat anything, as long as it’s chocolate,” she smiled a cheeky grin at him and he ordered two slices of cake, promising she wouldn’t be sorry.  She wasn’t.

 

+++

The man hummed to himself as he watched the woman tidy the shelves and turn out the lights of the little shop before turning the “open” sign over so it now read “closed” and then exiting and locking the door. She was tired, having put in a double shift and her fingers fumbled with her keys as she reached her car parked in the side lot.  She managed to get the door unlocked and as she pulled the key out, she dropped the lot of them and bent down with a groan to retrieve the pretty heart shaped key ring that held them.  Seeing that her attention was on the ground, he quickly stepped around the back of his van and sprinted to the car where she was bent over, stretching to reach the ground.  As she began to stand she was blind-sided and stunned to feel the door smashing into the side of her head, not once, not twice but half a dozen times until she could no longer breath or think or call out for help.  The last thing she saw was a tall man with blonde hair, dark eyes and a surprisingly kind smile on his face. 

He lifted her from the ground, looking around to see if anyone was watching and when he felt certain they were still alone, he carried her to the back of his van and laid her gently down on a blanket, then closed the door and slowly drove back to the warehouse.

+++

 

As they reached Nicole’s building the clock on the dash read 10:00 and Bucky coughed nervously as he turned off the ignition, “You know, it’s still pretty early. We could catch a late movie or hit your favorite club or…”

Nicole gave him a teasing frown, “We could do that, but do we really want to take the chance of ruining a perfectly lovely evening with a bad movie or a dingy club?” She smiled at him and continued, “Why don’t we go upstairs and find something on the tube or play cards or … whatever feels right?”

Bucky nodded and got out of the car then hustled around to the other side to help Nicole out. He closed her door and she took his hand as they walked to the building.  


Once inside, sitting on the couch, Bucky stretched his long legs out as he made himself comfortable, while Nicki heated up some water for tea. Bucky hated tea, but he would drink a gallon of it if that’s what she wanted to do.  She kicked off her shoes and sat next to him with her legs curled under while they waited for the teapot to whistle. Bucky took her hand and looked around the apartment, smiling at the eclectic mix of designs and colors and ‘stuff’ that made the place truly hers.  He spotted the picture that ‘hid’ the safe behind it and asked her what she kept there, already suspecting that it held her firearms. They compared notes on which weapons they preferred, although Bucky had a much larger pool to pull his choices from. Obviously, she knew that he had killed more than his share of people in the past, but he wanted to know if she had ever had to use her weapon on the job.  She sighed and nodded, explaining that she had killed one suspect who would not surrender his weapon and kept threatening to stab a pregnant woman. She had wounded one other suspect on the job and had taken a bullet herself during her years on the force.

He studied her face for a moment, his hand having moved to her shoulder where he twirled a strand of her hair around his finger over and over. He grew still and with a gleam in his eyes he softly challenged her, “I’ll show you my scars if you show me yours…”  

The sparkle in her eyes told him she knew exactly what he meant, but before she could say anything the teapot whistled loudly, making both of them jump and then groan at the timing. Nicole went to the stove and turned the heat off and when she turned back around Bucky was standing there, clearly not interested in tea.  He pressed his body into her until her lower back met the small kitchen island.

 “Bucky, don’t you want me to make you a cup of tea?  It’s really good… I found it at a specialty store and it tastes like cherries and… it, it tastes like… cherries…” her voice was lowering to a whisper as he continued to press his rock hard body into hers, his hands traveling up her arms to her face, finally weaving into her hair.

When his lips brushed hers he whispered, “I only want to taste you, hold you, feel you…” As he spoke those last words, he reached down and lifted her up, sitting her on the island.  Nicole immediately wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him even closer.  They kissed like they had that first night, when they were strangers and had only one thing in common.  They kissed like lovers and forbidden friends.  They kissed as if they might never kiss again. 

Coming up for air, Bucky moved his hands to the front of Nicole’s dress, fingers toying with the buttons for a moment before he lifted his eyes to meet hers. Surprising him, she asked softly, “What’s this?” as she touched the pair of leather bracelets on his wrist. 

“Oh! I forgot about these.  I just… I thought they were kind of neat… ya know?  And I thought, you know, if you liked them you could have one… or both if you want…”  Bucky was beginning to think this idea might not have been the best but Nicole’s face softened as she ran her fingers over the soft leather.

Her eyes sparkling she said, “Yes!! One… I’ll take one!”  She held her wrist out to him and he pulled one off; the one he thought was the ‘prettiest’ and slipped it around her wrist, tying the end in a knot to make it smaller.   “Thank you Bucky!!  I love it.” 

She kissed his cheek as she slid off of the counter and reached for his hand, leading him to the bedroom. Once there, they gazed at one another breathlessly, each undoing buttons and snaps and hooks and zippers until they stood in front of each other clad only in their under garments.

The scars on Bucky’s shoulder were clear and angry looking; Nicole reached out to touch him, her expression filled with compassion as she gently caressed the puckered skin and then leaned close to kiss his chest. Bucky gasped at her tenderness and felt the unfamiliar burn of emotion behind his lids as he closed his eyes. When she put her arms behind his neck and pulled his head down so she could reach his lips, he groaned in appreciation. 

Pulling away gently he spoke in a husky voice, “Show me.”

Nicki raised her right arm and turned slightly, pointing to an area above her hip bone. The bullet had gone through at an angle, so there was a large scar, a bit of smooth skin and then more scar tissue. Bucky placed his hand flat on the area and the warmth of him spread like fire through Nicole’s body. Placing her hand on top of his she looked into his eyes, “It was a long time ago but the scar has barely faded...”

Reaching down to slip his arm behind her legs, he picked her up and laid her on the bed. Ridding himself of his boxers, he sat on the edge of the bed and leaned over to kiss her stomach, moving lower and lower, as the already aroused Nicole was arching her back to meet him. He kissed and licked and stroked and teased her, his mouth and hands covering her body, tracing every inch of her skin; at times playful and at others, so gentle Nicole could barely feel his caress. 

When they came together, consummating the emotions and desires that had brought them there that night, it was everything each of them had dreamed of. It seemed as if they had been made for each other, their bodies responding one to the other in a way neither had ever experienced before.  Having reached the heights of release time and again, they held each other all night long in the peaceful slumber that only sated lovers can know.

 

The alarm buzzed in that horrible way it does and Nicole sat up, looking around the room to figure out where the racket was coming from. Bucky groaned and grumbled a bit as she crawled over him to reach the other side of the bed where the clock sat waiting to be turned off. Resting her chin on his shoulder for a moment she ran her hand down his side, loving the way he jumped and growled as he rolled to his back and grabbed her, pulling her down to meet his lips in a kiss.  When he let go, she sat up and looked at the clock again…  “SHIT!!” she yelped.  “Shit, shit, shit!”

Bucky sat up and kissed her on the forehead, “I guess this means there’s no chance we can spend the morning together?”

“ugh… I’m sorry… I really need to get to the office. Joe let me know yesterday that he has some kind of “thing” to deal with and I don’t want to let our cases just sit for another day.  Paperwork out the ass if you know what I mean…”

Bucky smirked… he really didn’t know much about paperwork, but he understood that there was a lot of it when you dealt with local law enforcement regulations. He watched as she opened drawers and closets and put together what she wanted to wear.  As she slipped on her shoes he grabbed her wrist and pulled her up to give her deep, lingering kiss.

“You are amazing,” he said matter of factly.

Nicole stared at him as if he was speaking Greek and smiled. “Okay, if you say so… but I’m really, really late...”

“I mean it,” Bucky went on. “I want to know everything about you.”

She gave him a doubtful look, “uhhh... after last night, there’s not much you don’t know about me.”

He smiled, “There’s more. There’s always more…” he had pulled on his jeans and was buttoning his shirt as he spoke.

Nicole blushed as she ran a brush through her hair, then rolled it into a bun and pinned it up. Neither one of them wanted to leave, but finally she spoke in an oddly shy voice, “Bucky, you can stay here as long as you like… just lock up when you leave. I, I have to go.  I have to….” He hadn’t put his shoes on yet, but he followed her to the door as she gathered everything she needed to take with her.  Turning to him one last time, she bit her lip before saying, “Thank you for last night… It was perfect.”

He stroked her cheek softly, “No… YOU are perfect. Absolutely perfect.”

Butterflies slammed around in her stomach, and she didn’t know what to say.

Seeing her discomfort he added with a soft sigh, “Hey, you better go now. You don't want to be late.”

She smiled at him, tears beginning to form in her eyes, “Good-bye Bucky… I’ll see you later.” She spoke almost hopefully.  In her heart she wanted nothing more than to be with him again and again and again… but her head told her not to count on it.  Never, ever count on anyone.  She gave him a quick wave and was gone.

Bucky had seen the doubt/fear/anxiety in her eyes. He nodded as he thought about it.  She was afraid.  Afraid to let go of control; he had felt a little of that the night before. But he had also felt the promise there.  She had wanted him and for a little while she had given herself over to him with abandon. He wanted more. And she was worth the effort… he was certain of that. 

He put on his boots, made an attempt at making the bed, although he couldn’t remember how the extra pillows had been arranged, picked up the dress she had worn the night before and laid it over the back of a chair; then whipped up a text:

_“Hey kitten,_

_I’m sorry we didn’t have more time together this morning, but I understand your hours aren’t as flexible as mine can be.  I hope last night meant as much to you as it did to me because frankly, it was the most alive and the happiest I have felt since I came out of the freezer in Wakanda._

_Thank you for giving me a chance. Hopefully, you’ll give me another; and another after that…_

_Have a good day and be safe,_

_Bucky”_

Satisfied that he had done the best he could, Bucky turned out the lights and flipped the lock on the front door, closing it tight and whistling as he walked down the hall to head back to the Avenger’s complex.

 

+++

The man stood silently in front of the mirror, his eyes fixed on his reflection as he studied his features, appreciating every line, every curve, and every inch of skin. He noted his hairline and the way his ears hugged the sides of his head.  His hazel eyes were beautiful, clear and deeply inviting.  He was tall and muscular with not an inch of fat on his body.  He was well featured, handsome in fact, according to the whispers he heard from various women who eyed him each time he visited the bank, or the laundry or the grocery store or gym.  He didn’t care what they thought, but he knew he could use his looks to his advantage.  Most people instinctively trusted attractive people. Stupid. People could be so stupid.

He wanted to hunt, the urge like a deep torturous itch that could not be reached. But he knew he should stay in, lay low, and take more time off.  His kills had become more and more frequent and he knew the more often he hunted, the more likely he might be caught. He was torn because it might be conspicuous if he only turned up at certain places just before a kill; people could notice and remember and maybe one day even connect him to some of the victims.  He had to be careful, watchful, and patient.

Better for him to not return to the club for a little while. There were other places he could find young women with creamy soft skin…lots of places… and time.  He had plenty of time to finish his work.  Cold weather was still weeks away, and the winter was long. He smiled at his reflection, a little twinkle lighting his eyes.  He prided himself on fitting in.  He was good at what he did, the best.  They would never suspect; never see him coming.

+++


	5. Chapter 5

 

Staring at the computer, Nicole stifled another yawn and blinked a few times to better read the screen in front of her. She hadn’t been exaggerating when she told Bucky there was a lot of paperwork to catch up on and she was determined to make a good dent in it while Joe was out for the day.  When she got to the station, she put her pistol, purse and phone in the bottom drawer of her desk in hopes of not being distracted.  After a couple of hours she took a quick break and as she sat back down, she pulled her phone out to see what she may have missed.  Seeing that she had a message from a private number, and deciding that it had to be Bucky, she froze, not wanting to open it.  It was probably one of those “you’re great, the sex was great, maybe we can do it again sometime” type letters.  Her heart was racing as she toyed with her phone; then put it back in her desk and took a big drink from her bottle of water, wishing she had given in to the urge to buy a bottle of Coke instead. Finally, she pulled the drawer open and took the phone out again.  “ _Stop wasting time Nic… just read it,”_ she scolded herself.  It wasn’t like this would be the first time…or the last.

After she had read it once, she went back and read it again, and then again. It was sweet and honest and perfect and she wanted to laugh and cry all at the same time.  Instead, she laid her phone down, on top of her desk this time, and went back to entering reports into the computer… all the while wondering how she should respond.   Eventually, she decided that honesty and being herself would be best.  As she signed off on the report she had finished, she picked her phone up and typed:  


_“Bucky_

_I’m sorry too that our time was cut short, but thanks for the heads up on your flexible hours; I’ll remember that in the future_ _J_ _Last night was… amazing.  I honestly can’t remember the last time anyone made me feel so special.  Thank you for that.  I’m humbled that I could make you happy by simply giving you the chance that you deserve… and I’ll gladly give you more, if you’re sure that’s what you want.  I know that I do._

_I guess I better get back to it…I’m a busy girl here today, tucked safely behind my desk and looking forward to seeing you again._

_Take care,_

_Nic”_  
  


Thinking she should have said more, or said it better or maybe she had said too much, she had to stop herself from sending another text and really looking like an idiot. If he wanted to see her again, he knew her phone number, her address, where she worked and her best friends.  He should have no trouble getting in touch with her.  She smiled to herself remembering their night together, thinking it couldn’t possibly get any better, while wondering if it actually could… blushing, she got back to work.  


+++  


Joe Nash was neck deep in an argument with his soon to be ex-wife. It didn’t matter what he said, he knew it was like throwing fuel on the fire and she would explode into another tirade. They had been separated for three months now, supposedly taking time to work things out in their own way, work out the issues they were having and finding a way to make a fresh start, give it another go.  Well, she was going alright… straight into the arms of another man.  He didn’t blame her.  Life with a cop was hard enough…a homicide detective was 10 times worse, though not quite as bad as if he worked Vice.  But coming from a family of law enforcement, she should have known that.  She should have expected the late nights and last minute interruptions and missed holidays and birthdays and the times when he just couldn’t cope and got stone cold drunk.  It was a part of it and she KNEW that. 

But still, he couldn’t blame her. He wasn’t much of a husband; not to her or his two previous wives. So, he just nodded and apologized and tried to calm her down.  He didn’t want it to end this way; not with harsh angry words. They had been good together for nearly seven years and he still loved her the best way he knew how.  Obviously that wasn’t enough.  Mostly, he didn’t want any kind of hassle when it came time to visit his kids.  He needed to play nice, so… he played nice. And in the back of his mind, he wondered what Nicole was up to.  She could be such a pain in the ass, but she was hands down one of the smartest, hardest working, most trusted partners he had ever had.  He hoped she’d had a good time with this new guy.  Joe had been there the night she had left the bar with Bucky; had seen the way the man had watched Nicki and he seemed to be an upright well-mannered guy.  He had been polite and treated the waitress kindly.  He was a big, decent looking, lumberjack type dude with a warm, friendly smile.  More importantly, Joe hoped that he was a good man.  Nicki deserved that much.  


+++  


When Bucky left Nicole’s apartment he changed his mind and went to his own house, not his room at the Avenger’s complex. He had bought the place almost as soon as he arrived back in the United States with Steve and the others. It was situated about 25 miles south of the compound in a tiny little town that even Google didn’t seem to know about.  The place was a mess when he moved in but had come a long way to becoming home.  In between missions he had become quite the carpenter and done a lot of the work himself with a little help from his ‘boss’.   

He had met Rick Eaves while standing in line at the local grocery store. Striking up a conversation they talked about the local economy and how things were improving for his business. Bucky mentioned that he didn’t know much about carpentry, but he was looking for work and was willing to help the man out if he was willing to show him the ropes.  Rick smiled; remembering how hard he had worked to become a master carpenter. But Bucky seemed genuine and recognizing him from a couple of news articles he had read, he already knew he was trustworthy, so why not give him a shot?

Bucky was a natural. He quickly picked up on the ins and outs and intricacies of how things worked together, the complexities of measurements and the unbelievable usefulness of a light touch.  And he got along well with Rick, who was a private man, but very friendly and helpful and a great teacher.  So, when he wasn’t busy saving the world, he worked with Rick and tried to live like a normal guy.

When he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, he stopped sanding the boards he had decided to replace in his floor and stood up straight, walking to the kitchen to grab a cool drink before he even checked to see who the message was from. Seeing her number put a smile on his face and as he read her text, the smile widened and relief washed over him.  He didn’t want to get ahead of himself, but he felt like he had taken that first step toward the normalcy that he craved **. He and Nicole were just getting to know one another, but he already felt as if she was the one he had been waiting for.**

**One thing he knew for sure, spending time with her made him happy; something that had been in short supply in his life for a long time. Taking one last swallow of his iced tea, he went back to work, humming a song he had heard** on the radio earlier that morning. He didn’t know the words, but for some reason, it made him think of Nicole; and that was good enough for him.

+++

Over the next couple of months, as time permitted, Nicole and Bucky saw each other often; including a spur of the moment weekend stay at one of the nicest hotels Nicole had ever been in. They arrived on a Friday night and didn’t leave the room again until Sunday afternoon; making excellent use of the plush king-sized bed, superb room service and oversized Jacuzzi. Late that Saturday night as they lay tangled in the sheets after another round of lovemaking, Bucky sensed a slight change in Nicole’s mood; she seemed a little tense, nervous even…

Stroking her arm gently he asked, “Something on your mind?”

Nicole didn’t answer at first, not sure what to say. She looked up at him as he gazed tenderly into her eyes, finally saying, “N…no.  It’s nothing,” before looking away _._

“And yet, there’s something.” He gave her a little squeeze, “Talk to me, please.”

She sat up in bed and turned her body to face him. “It’s just that I’m…; all this…” she flopped her hand back and forth between them and then made a small motion to indicate the room around them, “It’s so much. I mean... I don’t, I never expected to feel…”

As she sputtered and stumbled over her words, Bucky was running a dozen scenarios in his mind, trying to guess what was bothering her…none of them very good. He pushed himself up in bed, and then leaned back against the headboard. He studied her expression, praying he wouldn’t say the wrong thing. “Nicki, I … “

Determined to finish what she started, she grabbed his thigh before he could finish his thought, saying, “I think I love you.”   She had never told him that before and Bucky tried to respond, but she shook her head.  “Bucky, I love you, and it scares the shit out of me. I…I don’t scare easily but these feelings I have for you…” her bottom lip trembled as her eyes caressed his face.

“Nic, it’s ok. I understand.  Our relationship has been sort of a whirlwind, I get that.  I love you too and I swear to you, no one is more surprised than me.  I never expected to find someone like you; to love anyone the way I love you.   But you know, the first time I saw you, it felt like I had known you my whole crazy fucked up life.  Everything feels right when I’m with you. But, if you are uncomfortable with how things are … progressing; if you think we need to change something or ease off a little, I’m willing to do that.  I just want to make you happy. For the rest of our lives, I only want to make you happy.” 

_(…When it had become clear to both of them that they were going to be a ‘couple’, Nicole had owned up to the obvious fact that she had commitment issues. More than one of her previous relationships had ended badly and she acknowledged and accepted that the fault was hers.  She told him that she was afraid that she would do something stupid, something that would mess things up between them… like she always did.  He knew the “fear” she was feeling right now was actually a sign of how very much she cared for him, so he assured her at every turn that he wasn’t going to be that easy to get rid of…)_

Nicole bowed her head slightly, gulping back the tears before she looked again into Bucky’s warm eyes. “Thank you.  Thank you for being so patient and understanding with me.  For accepting how screwed up I am…” she rose to her knees and leaned in to kiss him gently.  “Have I told you lately how awesome you are?”

He laughed, “You may have said something like that about an hour ago… but my ego can always use a boost”…

Bucky left the maid a large tip because, well, he and Nic had had one hell of a time!

+++ On the eve of the three and half month anniversary of their “blind date”, (any excuse will do, right?) they had planned to have an early dinner, take in a movie and spend the night at Bucky’s house; Nicole was anxious to see the progress he had made there.  On Friday afternoon, he called her at work, sounding disappointed and apologetic.

“Nic, I’m so sorry. Something has happened in Estonia and Steve wants me on the mission.  It… it will likely take 4 or 5 days, maybe more.”

“Oh… That’s okay Bucky, I... I mean, it’s what you do. I understand.  Will I see you before you go?” she was trying to sound supportive and upbeat, but the slight hesitation and strain in her voice gave away her disappointment. 

“Baby, I’m sorry… I’m packing right now and we leave in 20 minutes. Please don’t be upset.”

“I’m not! Bucky, I understand.  I just wanted to see you, give you a good luck kiss… stupid right?”

“No. Not stupid at all.  I’d give anything if I had known about this soon enough to drop by for that kiss. Save it for me and I’ll collect on it the minute I get back,” he teased her softly, missing her already.

She grinned into the phone, “That sounds good. Just… be safe, okay?”

“I will.”

“Promise?” Nicole ** _really_** didn’t want him to go.

“Nicole, I’ll be fine. Like you said before, this is what I do, what this team does.  And we’re pretty good at it. Besides, nothing is going to keep me from getting back to you… I promise...”

_“Buck, you about ready?”_ Steve called out to him in the background _._

“Yeah man, give me just a minute… Nic, I’ve got to get my gear ready.  Listen you… you be safe too, you hear me?”

Her heart was pounding hard and a couple of officers sitting nearby were openly watching her, listening in to hear what she would say next. She stood and walked several feet away, “I will, I promise.” She paused for just a moment before the words rolled off her tongue, “You go ahead, get ready to go, I don’t want you forgetting anything important. We’ll talk when you get back… I love you.” Before he could respond she finished with, “Bye now...”

+++  


Bucky grinned widely; he was barely able to utter a response before he heard the click of the phone disconnecting. He didn’t have time to think about it just then, but later he would remember how sweet those words sounded on her lips. He grabbed the final few items he wanted to take, stuffing them in his ‘go-bag’ before joining the others on the quinjet.   After he had settled down in his seat he looked around to see the rest of the team onboard looking at him strangely.

“What?” he asked no one in particular.

“Nothing,” was the unanimous response from Steve, Clint, Natasha and Sam Wilson.

Scanning each of their faces for some hint as to what he may have done now, he snorted and leaned further back into his seat with a smirk on his face.

The plane lifted smoothly from the ground and as Steve flipped several switches and spoke softly into the radio, Sam nodded at Bucky and asked, “So tin-man, how’s Miss Nicole doing? She hasn’t been around since… forever. You ARE still seeing her, right?”  Sam knew damn good and well that Bucky’s frequent night time absences from the tower could not be fully attributed to the house he had bought; so it followed that he must be spending at least some of that time with a woman and he knew it was Nicole.

“Right,” Natasha chimed in, “I know she works some crazy hours and sometimes it’s difficult to catch up with her, but the girls and I have not been able to even meet her for lunch for almost a month now. SOMEONE seems to be occupying all of her free time…”

Shaking his head slightly, Bucky decided there was no reason to deny it, “Ok, ok… yes. Nicole and I have been spending time together, as often as we can.  Wasn’t that the purpose of the not so ‘blind date’ you and Wanda talked me into?”

Pouting prettily she agreed, “Yes, I suppose it was. But we didn’t expect you to steal her away from our little group.”

Thinking about if for a moment he smiled, “Sorry… not sorry?!”

Clint laughed out loud. “Well, there ya go! But Buck, my man… you need to bring her around once in a while. We all like her a lot and want her to feel welcome.”

Bucky understood what they were saying, and he was glad that Nic was really welcomed by the whole team… but he honestly didn’t want to share her, not yet. They were still too new and selfishly, he wanted her all to himself.

“Okay, alright! I get it! I’ll ask her to join us on movie night or something… okay??”

Sam smiled broadly, “That’s what I’m talking about!”

Bucky rolled his eyes and thought it best to put his headphones on and listen to some music; otherwise it was going to be a long flight…

+++                 

                                   

He sat alone at a table tucked in a dark corner of the pub. His eyes followed the woman as she moved around the room, stopping at each table and seat at the bar, discreetly offering her ‘services’ to every man there. Tonight must be an off night as up until now, she’d had no takers.  He believed he understood why. It wasn’t because she was unattractive.  She had a nice body; athletic but still curvy in all the right places.  She had jet black hair that was clipped a little too short, but was clean and shiny with a deep red rose pinned behind her ear.

The problem was in her eyes and her solemn expression. She looked used, broken, defeated; not the type that inspires a night filled with passion.  This wasn’t just any dive bar.  It was clean and well appointed; the patrons were a professional, yuppie type crowd.  The men that came here weren’t looking for company that appeared needy or made them feel sorry for them; they were too self-absorbed and preoccupied with being successful to consider spending time with those that were not.

He snorted softly at that thought… if they only knew how much he hated them. Even though he looked just like them; traveled comfortably in the same circles they did; played the same games and jumped the same hoops.  HE was different.  HE was better.  HE was determined to take the down-trodden and make them into something better… something beautiful.  


Candi’s eyes locked on the attractive man sitting in the corner. She had noticed him earlier and assumed that he already had a date; men with his looks were seldom without a companion.  She swallowed the last of her drink, sat the glass on the bar and made her way to his table, their eyes locked together in appreciation.

“Hey handsome, mind if I join you?”

He offered her a smirk and nod of his head as his pulse began to quicken at the soft glow of her skin. .  It was a lovely brown hue, and as he stroked her arm he felt how silky it was.  He would use her for his pleasure, but nothing else. She sat close to him and they spoke for a while over drinks.  He really liked her smile.  When she asked him if he wanted to go somewhere more private, he nodded and they left, arm in arm.

 

+++


	6. Chapter 6

 

“Well, that was fun.” Joe mumbled under his breath as he softly closed the door of the Captain’s office, wanting nothing more than to slam it hard enough for the glass to break.   Nicole gritted her teeth and nodded as they made their way back to the double cubicle they shared.  Their “case closed” file report was thin for the month, even thinner than last month’s and ** _it_** had been fucking awful.  They’d hit a brick wall in the serial killer cases, and their other cases were suffering from lack of attention because of it.  As if they didn’t know how bad things were going, they’d just gotten their asses reamed for the lack of progress… yeah.  That’ll make it all better. 

It was just about quittin’ time on Friday night. Nicole and Bucky were planning on meeting up at her place and spending the weekend together.  Joe had a date with the local liquor store and his quiet apartment. Things hadn’t gotten any better between him and his wife and it was all over but the crying and certified court documents pronouncing them divorced.  Nicole felt bad for him.  He was a good man and a great cop.  She really liked working with him and appreciated how much he loved his kids and had wanted to save his marriage; but in the end, he just couldn’t make it work.  People, your ordinary “man on the street” had no conceivable idea or understanding of the stress that came with being a cop and how much of it spilled over into their family life. Not a fucking clue. 

As they made their way across the parking lot, Nicole called out, “Hey Joe…”

He stopped in his tracks and looked back at her, “Yeah?”

“Wait a minute,” Nicole walked toward him, an idea forming in her mind. Bucky probably wasn’t going to like it but if she didn’t do something, she would worry about her partner all weekend.  “Listen, what would you think about stopping by my place tomorrow evening?  Bring the case files, join Bucky and me for some dinner and cheap wine and maybe we can throw a few ideas around and come up with a new angle, something we haven’t thought of. It’s in there Joe… I know it is.  We just need a fresh set of eyes… what do you think?”

Not wanting to appear too anxious, Joe mulled it over, giving her a doubtful look before saying, “Yeah sure, why not? I’ll bring the wine!”

“Great! Make it around 5:00?”

“I’ll be there… with the wine!” he smiled, already intrigued by the possibilities.

“… and the files. Don’t forget the files,” she smiled at him brightly.

“Right. I’ll grab them in the morning.”

“Good… we’ll see you tomorrow then… have a good night,” Nicole gave him a half hug/half pat on the back and turned to go.

“Good night Nic. See you there.”  Joe smirked as he wondered how she was going to break her little idea to Bucky.  He supposed it didn’t matter.  The man clearly doted on her and would do whatever she asked.  But still, he’d like to see his reaction when she told him they were going to be playing a game of cops and robbers on Saturday night. He could very well imagine that Bucky had other plans…

 

Bucky smiled as he watched Nicole walk towards the kitchen to grab him another beer along with the extra hot salsa he had stowed in the cabinet. Not that she wasn’t always attentive but tonight, she was pouring on the sugar.  He wondered how long it was going to take her tell him … whatever it was that she had cooked up and was afraid he wouldn’t be happy about.  He knew her well enough now to read her every mood, and she was anxious about something.  He had brought “carry out” from their favorite Mexican restaurant and she had been very grateful.  So grateful in fact that she had insisted on ‘dessert’ first. 

They were eating their meal around the coffee table while they watched a repeat of a Jeff Dunham comedy special. He was one of Nicole’s favorite comedians and Bucky got a real kick out of Walter and Peanut.  During a commercial break, Nicki grabbed the remote to mute the sound of the television.  Bucky put his taco down to give her his full attention.

“Bucky…”

“Yes?” he answered softly as he put his hand on her knee.

Nicole smiled, “I hope you don’t mind too much… I invited Joe to join us tomorrow for dinner and a bit of brainstorming. Is that okay?”

Bucky gazed at her thoughtfully. She always had a ton of questions for him when he got home from missions… but was never eager to talk about her own work with him.  This was new and he wondered what had brought it on.

“If you’d rather not, I’ll just call him and tell him we had other plans that I forgot about. We won’t do this unless you really want to…” she wished she had asked Bucky about this before she made the suggestion to Joe.

“Nicole... baby that’s fine. I’m just surprised is all. What’s it about?”

“Well, we got our asses chewed today because of our recent lack of production… and it’s true… we haven’t been doing our best work, at least none that shows a positive result. And I know some of it has to do with Joe and his divorce and he’s so sad and drinking a lot… like a whole lot, and I just…”

“… and you just feel sorry for him.” Bucky nodded his understanding.

She gave him a pitiful look, “Yes, I do. But it’s more than that.  Bucky, we should have solved this case by now.  I know it, I mean **I feel** it in my bones that the answer is right in front of us but for some reason, neither one of us can see it.  It’s making me crazy!  I thought maybe if we looked at it in a comfortable setting with another set of eyes to take it in, it might help.”

Bucky nodded again. He understood that her job was actually much more difficult than his.  When something happened to get the Avengers involved… there was very little ‘figuring it out’ that went on.  The bad guys were there in plain sight and expecting a fight.  Nicole and Joe had to do the footwork, figure out who done it and then bring them in.  It wasn’t nearly as exciting as being a ‘super-hero”, and far more taxing when things weren’t going right.

“Nicole, I’ll be glad to take a look at anything you want me to… but I’ve been out of the spy game for awhile, so don’t be disappointed if I don’t see something that you didn’t, okay?”

“Okay… thank you baby. If nothing else, maybe you and Joe will get to know each other a little better.  He could use another friend…”

“Nicki…”

“No, no, no! I’m not expecting a “bromance” or anything…  Just, be nice, okay?”

“What?!! I’m always nice!!” he grabbed her and started tickling her relentlessly.

“Bucky, Bucky stop please!! You’re nice… you’re nice, you’re always nice!!” she squeaked out between giggles.

He stopped and gave her a peck on the forehead, “Okay then, don’t you forget it. Can I finish my taco now?”

She squeezed his arm and nodded, before whispering, “Thank you.”

Bucky smiled at her, his gorgeous eyes twinkling like a star filled night, “You’re welcome.”

With a sigh of contentment Nicole turned her attention back to the television, just in time to see Achmed the suicide bomber declare, “Silence! I keeel you!!” The rest of the night was filled with laughter and love.  What else could anyone ask for?

 

 

The following evening at precisely 5:00 pm, the doorbell rang. Nicole was busy pulling out a pan of lasagna that she had picked up from the Italian restaurant where Bucky had first taken her, and which had become one of their regular spots.  Opening the door to welcome their guest, Bucky wore a friendly, and he hoped, welcoming smile.  What greeted him was a pair of legs and a stack of banker’s boxes filled to the brim; with Joe was trying to hang on to them and a bag that held 3 bottles of wine.

“Hey Joe! Come on in!” Bucky grabbed the top two boxes from their guest and ushered him into the living room.  The sound of Nicole’s laughter filled the air as the men placed the boxes on the floor and Joe smiled and moved to give her a hug.

“Hi Joe! You are right on time!  Looks like you brought enough to keep us busy for a few hours.  I assume everybody wants to eat first, right?”

“Nic, you’ve got it smelling so good in here, how could we resist?”

“Well, I can’t take credit for that. Unless warming something up is a special gift…  I do have a treat mixed up and ready to go in the oven for later.  So, save your compliments for then,” she giggled and Joe grinned broadly before he excused himself to wash up for dinner.

After a delicious meal of lasagna, fresh salad (with dried cranberries & chopped walnuts included) buttery corn and yummy bread sticks, Bucky helped Nicole clean the table, cover the leftovers and load the dishwasher. Joe watched with a touch of envy as the couple moved together in the small kitchen, taking every opportunity to touch hands, leaning gently into each other, the love they shared clear in the looks they exchanged. Pouring each of them another glass of the delicate and very expensive wine he had brought, he explained to them what each box from the office contained, how he had been unable to bring anything from the ‘evidence’ locker for legal reasons, but there were pictures of everything.  He threw a yellow legal pad on the table along with a few pens and looked at Nic.

“So… where do you want to start?”

With a deep sigh she nodded slightly, “We start at the beginning.”

At first Bucky just sort of sat back and listened, looking through the photos as the two detectives explained the who, what, when and where of each victim. As they got deeper into the boxes, Nicole took a minute to kick off her shoes and replace them with some warm fuzzy sock/slippers. She also grabbed a sweater, which made Bucky look at her quizzically. She just smiled at him and got back to work.  He listened to the two of them as they rattled off details of interviews, the dead ends and the frustration of being unable to come up with a viable suspect.  Of course they had questioned dozens and dozens of people; had even held one man in jail for almost two weeks and a couple of others for several days each, but nothing ever panned out. Bucky asked questions now and then, good questions in fact, but none that the duo had not covered in their investigation thus far.

And then he dropped the bomb.

“Do you think it could be a cop?” he asked softly.

Joe and Nicole looked like a matched set as they both froze, and then slowly turned their heads in unison to look at Bucky as if he were insane. The room was silent for nearly 30 seconds before Joe broke into laughter. 

“What?” Nicole sounded really dumbfounded. “Bucky, why would you even suggest that?”

Not wanting to insult the most important person in his life, Bucky took a deep breath. “It… it just sounds like whoever the killer is, he or she knows exactly how to not get caught.  I’ve no doubt that you two have done everything, absolutely _everything_ by the book.  You’ve missed nothing… and yet you are coming up empty handed.  Who would know better than a cop how to evade or obstruct every move you make?”

Nicole and Joe turned their heads to look at each other, their expressions almost comical as it dawned on them that Bucky had made a valid point, as impossible as it sounded.

“Look,” he decided he better try to smooth things over, “I know this is coming from left field, and you’ll probably never ask for my opinion again, but you DID want me to come up with something slightly outside the box, right? It’s a long shot for sure, but it’s a different angle that you may or may not choose to pursue. Totally your call.”

Biting her lip, Nicole moved to Bucky’s chair, sat on his lap and put her arms around him. Kissing his forehead, she smoothed a stray bit of hair from his brow and said, “You are amazing. I hope you’re wrong, but you ARE amazing.”  Looking at Joe she said, “I think it’s something we have to consider.  Obviously we need to be extremely low-key about it, but …”

Shaking his head in understandable disbelief Joe snorted softly, “Uh... yeah. I mean at this point, why not?” Standing, he asked, “Refill anyone?”

Both Bucky and Nicole declined, but she stood to join Joe in the kitchen, placing the dessert she had made in the microwave as she pulled out a tub of ice cream.   She smiled sweetly at Joe and suggested that he hold off on the wine until he tried her “out of this world” dessert.  They both knew he would prefer the wine, but he nodded and took the bowl that she had filled with some chocolate caramel cake concoction topped with vanilla ice cream instead.

Later, with the boxes neatly re-packed and gathered together, Joe shook Bucky’s hand and thanked him for the enjoyable evening and his help with the case. He hugged Nicole and declined Bucky’s offer to help him carry the boxes back to the car.  Once he had them loaded into the trunk, he remembered the unopened bottle of wine that that he had left upstairs for the couple to enjoy, wishing he could take several big swigs of it right about now.  What a crazy night.  Crazy.

 

Up in apartment 301, the dessert bowls and utensils along with several glasses had been added to the dishwasher and as it began to run through its cycle, Bucky was just about to ask Nic if he had stepped on any toes with his earlier comments. Before he could get half a dozen words out, Nicki covered her mouth and made a mad dash for the bathroom.  The sounds that followed confirmed his earlier suspicions that she wasn’t feeling very well.  Apparently, their meal and rich dessert had not set well on her already queasy stomach.   Standing in the doorway, he called out to her, “Can I help?  You need some Alka Seltzer or something?”   In a shaky voice she declined as she moved to the sink to rinse her mouth out.  A few minutes later he met her in the living room, putting his arms around her as she shivered noticeably, even though her skin was hot to the touch. 

Bucky suggested she head off to bed adding, “I’ll see if I can find some cold medicine, okay?”

“Thank you sweetie; that would be great,” she answered with some effort.

Whatever 'it' was, had come over her in just a matter of hours. Her entire body ached and she felt as weak as a wet noodle. Bucky brought her some cold pills, cough syrup and a bottle of water.  Nicki took the pills and drank several gulps of water before sinking down into the bed, pulling the blankets up to her chin.   Bucky joined her shortly after, climbing in beside her.  She turned the television on with the sound down low and the timer set on 30 minutes, snuggling close to his body as he wrapped his arms around her. 

She didn’t want to talk right now. Her body was rebelling in every way possible and her head felt like it was going to explode.  After about 15 minutes, Nicole looked up at Bucky who smiled softly, “I love you Bucky,” was the best her now aching throat could offer up.

“I love you too little kitten; more than anything. Now try to get some sleep.”  He gave her a gentle hug as she closed her eyes and mumbled into his chest.   In just seconds, she had slipped into a deep sleep.

\+ + + +

The man sat in a comfy old chair on the roof of one of several buildings he owned. The soft orange glow of a cigarette moved to and fro as he raised his hand to his lips, then back to rest on the arm of the chair.  It was a chilly night and he hadn’t grabbed a jacket on his way up.  He didn’t mind. The cold kept him sharp, alert..  He wasn’t sure what he was feeling at the moment.  Things were happening... things he had expected sooner or later, but not quite like they were going down.  So, he wasn’t upset or particularly happy or sad.  He actually felt … contentment, for one of the few times he could remember in his adult life.  It was a pleasant feeling, if totally worthless. He scanned the heavens, admiring the twinkle of stars that were bright and near enough to make a mark in his view of the night sky.

The last body hadn’t been discovered yet. If he was a betting man, he would wager that the chances were in his favor that he would continue to avoid being caught. He had taken extreme precautions to avoid leaving any kind of traceable evidence and felt really good about his continued success.  He had no desire to go to prison or to be in the spotlight (although that might not be too awful); but he preferred to be a free man.  What was in his future?  Time would tell.  He would either continue to outsmart them, beating them at their own game, or he would end it, his way.

 

 ++++

 

For three days Bucky stayed by Nicole’s side. She was sick… sicker than anyone he had ever been around, yet she refused to go to the doctor.  Finally, he pulled an end around on her and asked Helen Cho, the head of all things medical related with the Avengers, if she could stop by and take a quick look at Nicki.  He knew she would be not be happy with his going behind her back, but he had been assigned to a mission leaving in a couple of days and he didn’t want to leave her on her death bed!  That afternoon Dr. Cho, with Wanda in tow, visited the apartment.  Nicole gave Bucky a decidedly dirty look, but before the short 30 minute visit was over, the doc had given her an injection and a prescription for Bucky to fill. Nicole had actually been smiling before the two women left and reached up to Bucky so she could hug him close with a soft, “Thank you,” before slipping back into a deep restful sleep. Bucky lay next to her on the bed, his arm protectively around her for a couple of hours, before getting up to make a quick run to the pharmacy and then preparing a light dinner. 

When the day arrived for Bucky to leave, Nicole was feeling quite a bit better, and in fact, was talking about returning to work. She hated that she had missed so many days in a row and worried about Joe, who was apparently working double time to keep their cases moving forward.  He had even scored a huge bit of information from an un-named source that led to closing one of their older cases.  However her supervisor had been quite clear that he didn’t want her returning to work unless cleared by a doctor; no sense coming back too soon, infecting half of the staff and risking a relapse. 

Bucky had been gone three days when she got the phone call that changed everything.

Joe had been involved in a multi-vehicle accident and was in serious condition in intensive care. Nicole got herself dressed and made her way to the hospital to see for herself how he was doing.  As she peeked around the curtain to gaze at the man in the bed, she barely recognized him.  He had sustained multiple broken bones with bruises and abrasions over a good portion of his body.  His face and eyes were swollen and all of the wires and tubes protruding from his bed made him seem almost small. The nurse told her that he was heavily sedated and that she could stay for five minutes.

Sitting on a stool next to the bed, Nicole started to touch his hand, but decided she didn’t want to risk infecting him with whatever virus had made her so ill. Instead, she gently touched his knee that was safely tucked under a blanket.  “Joe, it’s me, Nicole.  If you can hear me, don’t try to answer. You need to use all of your strength to get better.  I just want you to know that I’m feeling good as new and I’ll be taking care of things at the office; so there’s no need for you to worry. Just rest, do what the doctors tell you and get well… ok?  I’ll be checking in on you, so behave yourself with the nurses or I’ll hear about it…” Nicole choked bake a wave of emotion.  “Seriously dude, get well.  We’ve got lots of stuff to do.”  She squeezed his knee and he opened eyes just long enough to see her smile before he gave a slight nod and closed them again.

After just another few seconds, Nicole left, determined to make some progress at work that she could share with her partner the next time she visited.


	7. Chapter 7

 

He sat on the edge of a battered brick wall, long legs stretched in front of him, ankles crossed, arms folded; his clothes dirty and his expression one of exhaustion. When the team had taken on this mission, they never dreamed they would be pulled into a full on border war.  They had fought for days, Tony having been forbidden to use his Iron Man powers in the volatile situation that had sprung up around them.  He and Cap had tried every peacekeeping method they could think of, talked until they were blue in the face and pleaded with the two factions to try to come to some agreement.  It didn’t work.  So now, they argued with each other about what to do next.  The Accords had made life nearly unbearable for Cap, but he still helped Tony whenever he called.  It brought up bad memories and a sour taste for both of them.

Bucky was tired, he was angry that he had been brought on a mission that at this point was a total waste of time and he was worried about Nicole. He had not been able to contact her for a couple of days now; most of the cell towers in the area had been destroyed along with a couple of satellite stations.  When he HAD last spoken with her, she was obviously feeling better and on her way to actually feeling good.  He had dreamed of her two nights in a row.  Not the good kind of dream that he usually had when they were apart, but strange, somewhat frightening dreams.  He tried to lay it off on the battle that raged around him but he didn’t honestly believe it.  He was a soldier; he was trained to handle this kind of stress.  He was the fucking Winter Soldier; he’d been through situations like this and much, much worse and still slept like a baby.

Something gnawed at the back of his mind and for some reason; he couldn’t shake the feeling that Nic was in danger. He knew she was a good cop.  She was experienced, mentally prepared for even the worse crime scenes, physically well trained (and quite fit minus this recent bug) and he knew she could handle herself in tough situations.  He didn’t like being so far away from her.  What if she needed him?  He smiled inwardly at the thought.  She DID need him and he knew it.  They had never made any kind of ‘official’ decision, but they pretty much lived together now, spending most all of their free time at her place or his or even his old room at the Avengers complex.  He loved her.  She was the center of his well being.  He didn’t spend a lot of time regretting things he had done in the past… he had made his peace with the things he’d had no control of.  Having Nicole in his life gave him purpose, laughter; companionship; and above all, she gave him hope. He supposed worrying about her was just a part of the package.

Tony huffed loudly and walked off. Cap looked at Bucky and shook his head.  “I’m going home.  You wanna come?”

For the first time since they had arrived, Bucky smiled, “Hell yeah.”

++++

 

Her first day back in the office was a short one. She had started out like a house on fire, but quickly lost her energy and even began wheezing again.  Det. Ryan, who had been tasked with keeping track of any info that came in on the cases assigned to Joe and Nic noticed and immediately ran to the Captain’s office, who then rushed out to her desk to see what was what.  Nicole was totally embarrassed and graced Ryan with a death stare before admitting that she was feeling a little weak and would like to take a few of the folders home to work on.  She could access her desktop from home and would be able to document her work from there.   Capt. Reynolds agreed and seemed quite happy to send her on her way.  His infamous germ phobia was the butt of more than a few jokes around the station house.

 

When Bucky opened the door of Nicole’s apartment he simply stood in the doorway and grinned. Nic was laying back in the recliner; reading glasses perched on her nose, laptop balanced on her legs, bottle of tea on the floor beside her and papers spread across the coffee table as she slept peacefully.  They’d had a very brief conversation earlier in the day as he prepared to fly home; she’d told him about Joe’s accident and that she needed to go in, at least for a while to sort through their files and do what she could.  Apparently, she had brought work home but her body’s need for rest had won out in the end.

He closed the door softly, placed his keys on a side table and shrugged his jacket off to hang on the back of a kitchen chair.   It had been days since they had seen each other and he wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and feel her arms around him, but she looked so damn peaceful he hated to wake her.  He decided to carefully move the laptop, pull the glasses from her face, cover her with a soft fluffy blanket and let her sleep.  He pulled off his boots, grabbed a crossword puzzle book from a pile of magazines and stretched out on the couch to wait for her to wake up. 

An hour later, Bucky’s eyes popped open as Nicole nuzzled her face into his neck while she snuggled in next to him. With a soft growl he stood up, pulling her up with him and after a long, deep welcome home kiss, he picked her up and carried he to the bedroom.  As he laid her gently on the bed he spoke softly, “I missed you so much. I can’t… I can’t even tell you how much.”

Nicole smiled softly at him, “My sweet Bucky,” she kissed his forehead and smoothed his hair back. “I missed you too… when I wasn’t busy being sick.”

Bucky kissed her forehead, “I mean it baby. It’s always the same.  From the moment I leave, until the moment I get back, everything feels wrong.  And it only feels right again when I have you in my arms.  What have you done to me… what kind of magic is this?”  He paused as he lay down beside her, “I love you Nic.  I love you more than anything or anyone in this whole world. You get that, don’t you?”

Nicole’s breath caught in her throat. She did get it.  She understood exactly what he was saying.  She tried to explain to him how, in her whole life she had never cared so much for anyone, not like this.  Somehow, without her planning on it, Bucky had become her rock, her comfort, her joy.  He was her best friend, her protector, her sounding board and her lover.  She was touched to the core when they made love; Bucky was unlike any man she had ever been with.  He made love to **her** ; he loved every inch of her, taking his time, satisfying her body, mind and soul.  And in doing so, he laid bare his own soul; trusting her, allowing her to see parts of him he had never shared with anyone, never wanted to share with anyone before her.  She held his heart in her hand and she swore to him and all the stars in the sky that she would honor the faith he put in her every single day of her life. 

Later on, Bucky puttered around in the kitchen, determined to make Nicole’s favorite banana pancakes. When he realized they didn’t have all the ingredients he needed, he stood by her chair, where she had started working on her laptop again.

“Let’s make a deal, ok?”

Smiling up at him she gave him a questioning look.

“You work on this stuff while I run out to the store. When I get back, I’ll cook up a special ‘dinner’ and when it’s ready, YOU are finished working for the night, okay?”

When she took too long to answer, Bucky kissed her hand, “Please?”

Unable to resist the tilt of his head and the twinkle in his eyes, she giggled, “It’s a deal!”

He grabbed his keys and blew her a kiss before walking out the door. Nicole closed her eyes and sighed before returning her full attention back to the laptop.

++++

Joe Nash cracked his eyes open, allowing just a sliver of light to enter. He lay perfectly still for several seconds as he tried to identify the strange smells and the odd sounds that whispered softly in his ears.  It didn’t take long to recognize the hissing sound of the oxygen that he was being force fed by the mask covering his nose and mouth; and that would explain the slightly plastic odor as well.  He heard a television playing very low, possibly out in the hall.  His room was nearly dark, but the light that filtered in was enough that he could see the outline of the equipment he was hooked up to.

He tried to remember what the hell had happened to put him in a hospital bed. His head ached with concentration… or perhaps with the concussion he had received. It seemed like his face must be swollen to twice its normal size, and when he tried to lift his arm to feel for himself, the pain in his ribs, shoulders and arms awoke with alarming intensity.  He must have moaned out loud, as a nurse was instantly in the doorway, flipping on the lights and coming to check his vitals and ask him several questions about how he was feeling and if he needed more painkiller and _dear god yes… please put me out of my misery..._

He already knew he could never be that lucky.

 

++++

The next day, before she went to the Homicide Unit, Nicole stopped by Data Control to talk to a friend of hers. She had half of an idea forming in the back of her mind and she knew Stephanie would be able to decipher what she was trying to say and make it fit into some kind of logical search... at least she hoped so. 

“I know I’m not making a lot of sense, but I have this idea that maybe you can whip up some kind of program or app that can cross-match these dates and times, with these numbers and these GPS readings. Is that even possible?

Stephanie gave her a lopsided grin, “Girl, I understand what you are asking for, and I believe I can rig something up that will at least get us a basic spreadsheet… but I’m wondering why this is coming from you and not logistics? Is little experiment on the down-low or something?”

Nic looked around and lowered her voice even though the room appeared empty except for the two of them. “Yes, it is.  Please keep this between me and you.  I’m trying to earn brownie points, but I don’t want to present something that’s totally stupid until I have some solid numbers from you… I promise I’ll give you credit if it all works out!”

“Sure, no problem. It may take several days… I’ve got a bit of a backload, but I’ll get it to you ASAP.”

“You are an ANGEL Steph, thank you so much!”

They bumped fists as Nicole left and Stephanie shook her head. She knew Nicki too well to believe her cover story, but she also trusted her enough to be willing to help.

For the next couple of weeks, Nicole went to the station each morning, responding to phone calls and emails and writing up any reports that she was able to complete and submit for approval. By 11:00 she would straighten her desk, stack up several case files and a dozen scraps of paper she had scribbled on throughout the day to work on later at the apartment.  On her way home she would stop to visit Joe, who was progressing slowly.  The swelling was still obvious, though slightly less and he was often so heavily sedated that she couldn’t have any kind of real conversation with him.  She left funny little notes and once a copy of the new playboy on his tray while he slept. The nurse would later read the notes to him and the magazine was discreetly tucked away before Nic returned the following day.

 

She had gone with Bucky to visit Helen Cho again, wondering why her virus was hanging on so long.   The doctor assured her she was recovering nicely.  There was a new bug going around this winter and it was very difficult to treat because it was a tricky diagnosis.  With the assurance that by the end of the following week, she would likely feel nearly as good as new, Nicole gave the woman a hug and tucked her prescription refill in her purse before joining Bucky in the hallway as he spoke with Steve and Sam. 

“There she is!” Sam greeted her in his boisterous manner. “How are you feeling little lady?  For what it’s worth you look like a million bucks!”

Smiling she gave him a kiss on the cheek, “Thank you Sam. I needed to hear that.”

“What? Are you telling me that the tin man doesn’t tell you every day how amazing you are?”

Bucky gave Sam an evil, hooded eye stare and Steve laughed, “Of course he does, don’t you Buck?”

Gritting his teeth, Bucky started to say something, but Nicole jumped in, “Oh you guys! Stop!  Bucky gives me everything I need and then some, I promise.  It’s just nice to hear it from someone else now and then.”  She gave them a little smirk and before Sam could make some kind of suggestive response that would surely get Bucky fired up even more, Steve spoke up. 

“Can you two stay for dinner? Thor is rumored to be joining us tonight and I don’t believe that Nicole has had the pleasure of meeting him… right?”

Nicole’s eyes lit up at the mention of the handsome Asgardian and the look she gave Bucky told him he better have a damn good reason to decline the offer. He didn’t.

 

It was certainly a night to remember. Thor was everything Nicole had imagined and more.  He was larger than life yet remarkably down to earth.  Which was funny since he actually wasn’t from Earth!! As the evening wore on, he regaled her with stories of battles won and lost; stories of his family and just a few of the places he had seen.  He was funny and sweet, totally charming and seemingly, just what she needed to lift her spirits.  Bucky, who actually liked the giant of a man, couldn’t help but be a little jealous.  Yes, **he** was the Winter Soldier with dozens of his own stories to tell, but very few of them were the kind he wanted to boast about. 

Near the end of the evening Thor approached him saying, “Bucky, Soldier of Winter, you have done yourself proud.”

“uh… okay?” Bucky was never quite sure with Thor what might be coming next.

“Yes! The lady is worthy of your love and your name!  She is bright and funny and wise beyond her years.  She is a perfect match for you my friend!”  Thor slapped Bucky on the back several times to emphasize his approval.

With a grunt and a bright smile, Bucky looked at Nicole then back to Thor, “Thank you Thor… I’m glad you approve.” Both men laughed and took several chugs from their glasses.

Since it was Friday night and they didn’t have any plans for the next day, Bucky and Nicole spent the night at the tower, staying up late watching movies in the home theater with Steve, Natasha, Wanda, Vision, Sam and Thor. When they finally called it a night and crawled into bed, Nicole held firmly in Bucky’s embrace, he whispered softly, “Nicole, I love you.  I think I always have.”  She snuggled even closer to his chest, “And I love you, my Soldier of Winter… and I always will.”  They sighed in unison and were both asleep in a matter of minutes.

 

++++

Weeks passed quickly by and as promised, Nicole grew strong and returned to work full time where she was assigned a new partner for the duration of Joe’s recuperation. It was a little odd at first, but after the first week or so, she and Det. Matt Kinsey seemed to mesh together nicely.  He had several years experience on her, but was always open to her ideas and different way of viewing things; while she was learning tricks of the trade from him that were helpful in dealing with suspects, keeping paperwork to a minimum and above all, closing cases with a great deal of success.  As the months passed, the serial killer case that Joe and Nicole had been working went ice cold.  She wasn’t happy about that, but at least the killings had stopped.

She felt really bad for Joe, his injuries had proven to be even worse than was first thought and luck would have it that he later contracted a severe staph infection during his many weeks in the hospital and then he was sent to a rehabilitation center for further physical therapy and treatment. At first, Nicole had continued to check in on him at least once a week, but their once warm relationship seemed strained and she almost dreaded those visits.

 

For his part, Joe was in agony. His body hurt in ways he never imagined possible.   He was weak and in constant pain.  The medical staff tried to keep him motivated and positive during his treatments, but his mind raged at the unfairness of it all.  Not to mention he was anxious and bored beyond measure.  He knew that Nic only stopped by so often because she felt some kind of guilt, which made no kind of sense, but that was how her thought process worked.  He also knew that she wished she was somewhere else most of the time she was there with him.  That was his fault.  He had turned into an grumpy old man overnight and he often spoke harshly to her, like she had anything to do with any of this shit.  He should apologize to her the next time she stopped by.  Yep, that’s what he would do… 

...He never imagined how many months he would spend in rehab and how painful returning to work would be. He had been assigned to a desk “for however long” his full recovery took, but he was not a man who could sit behind a desk all day.  He often went home early, simply because he was bored out of his mind.  It was becoming clear to his superiors and co-workers that the old “Joe” would probably never be back.

 

Bucky continued to work with the Avenger’s when they asked him, though he was never officially named a part of the team; but he found that he was happiest when he and Rick were working together on some project or other. Over the winter the carpentry work had slowed down a lot, but that allowed Bucky to finish his own house.  And although parties were not generally his thing, he’d invited several people over to celebrate with him and Nicole and they were all quite impressed with his work.  He smiled broadly, but was quick to mention that Nic had helped him pick out a lot of the finishes and colors that brought it all together.

 

As a couple, Nicole and Bucky had minor issues now and then… and Nicole, still fighting the certain dread that she would do something stupid enough to run Bucky off, was the first to take the blame and apologize for her part in any disagreement they had. Their relationship was a Godsend for both of them and they worked hard to keep things on track. Although they practically lived together,  they sometimes went days or weeks without seeing one another, depending on what shift she was working or whether he got sent off with the Avengers on some lengthy mission.  Whatever they were doing though, it seemed to be enough as Natasha swore she had never seen a couple that appeared any more in love than those two did.


	8. Chapter 8

 

Bucky was sitting in his favorite over stuffed leather chair, reading a book he had pulled off of Nicole’s shelf. It never ceased to amaze him how eclectic her taste was in just about everything.  Movies, books, music, art, clothes, friends; her choices varied broadly and, he supposed, that’s exactly what made her the person she was. As he turned the page he saw that she, or someone who had read the book before him, had underlined several sentences and written a note in the margin of the page.  He read that paragraph and those lines three times before his eyes left the page to lock on to the woman who sat across from him, who it seemed was deeply involved with a show she was watching on the television;  oblivious that she had captured his attention.

A commercial came on and Bucky returned his gaze to the book in his hands before Nicole had a chance to look his way. He read the paragraph again before running his finger over the note written in pencil. He recognized her somewhat choppy handwriting and knew she had written the words, “just like Joe”.  The name of the book was “5 Traits of Serial Killers”. 

He thought back to that evening when Joe had joined them for dinner and after sifting through many pages of reports, Bucky had suggested the killer might be a cop. He really hadn’t given it much thought since then and with Joe’s accident and Nicole now working with Det. Kinsey, she hadn’t even mentioned the case since then.  Now… now he wondered just how much credence she had given his words and if she might have at one time actually suspected Joe?   That was ridiculous of course…wasn’t it?  He felt her eyes on him, knew she was waiting for him to notice and say something, but he did NOT want to ask her the question that was demanding to be voiced.

“Nicole,” he glanced in her direction and smiled. She grinned at him in that silly way he loved so much, saying “Yes Bucky?”

“I need to ask you about something… but I don’t want to piss you off.”

She stood from her spot on the couch and moved to sit on his lap… that’s when she noticed the book he was holding. The look on her face changed dramatically.  He was right.  She did not want to discuss the serial killer case that had in the past five months gone ice cold.

“Where did you get that book?” she asked, he voice slightly strained.

“From your shelf. I just wanted something different, so I grabbed the first one I saw. I wasn’t looking for anything in particular.”

Her face had gone smooth, unreadable. “So, what’s your question?”

Damn! This was not going to end well, he just knew it.  “I, I’m not surprised to see you have a book like this, I mean it makes perfect sense.” He paused for a moment to steady his voice.  “I was just curious about this note you wrote in the margin.  I mean, it looks like maybe, you might have believed, or at least considered the possibility that… Joe was the killer?  I just wondered how you followed up and what changed your mind?”

Still keeping her emotions in check, her face expressionless, Nicole took the book from his hand and replied, “It was just a fleeting thought. I was exhausted from working on the case; you had put that stupid idea in my head and I was reaching for straws.  I never followed up.  Why should I?  Joe, a serial killer?  Seriously?  No.  I didn’t follow up because it’s simply not possible.  End of story.”   Those last three words were spoken emphatically, her warning to Bucky to drop it. She didn’t mention the spread sheet that she still hadn’t opened; tucked safely away under her weapons in the wall safe.

Bucky wanted to say more. He wanted to tell her that he knew she was a good cop and that she clearly saw something on the pages of that book that “fit” what she knew about Joe.  He wanted her to finish what she started because he knew that somewhere, deep in her heart or mind or soul, somewhere inside she was hiding something that she didn’t want to face.  He wanted to say more, but he didn’t.  Instead, he asked her if she wanted to do anything special for their one year, first date anniversary.

Nicole studied his face for a moment, the softness returning to her own features as she thought about what he had said. “Our first date anniversary?  Wasn’t that like… 3 weeks ago?”

“Yeah, it was. But you were working nights and I was out of town for several days that week and then we sort of just let it slip by. But I still think we should celebrate somehow. What do you think?”

“… of course! Did you have anything in mind?” 

“Well, we both love to eat, so I thought we could go out for a nice dinner… and then maybe go dancing?”

“Dancing?” Nicole looked at him like he had grown a second nose. “Bucky, you never want to dance when we go out!!”

“No… I don’t mean club dancing… with all that wiggling and gyrating. I want to hold you in my arms and lead you around the dance floor.  Like adults used to do.”

“Oh!!” she smiled at him and whispered, “What if I don’t know how to dance that way?”

“All you need to do is hold on to me. I’ll do the hard part.” He spoke softly, his eyes never leaving hers as he pulled her closer to his chest.  “I’ll take care of you Nic, always.”

He kissed her then and Nicole melted in his embrace. They stayed there in the leather chair for quite a while, making out the way they had that first night they met, only this time, when Bucky stood, still holding her in his arms, Nicole touched his face, then stroked his hair whispering, “I love you Bucky Barnes,” the previous tension that had threatened to ruin their evening quickly forgotten as Bucky showered her with kisses and gentle caresses.

 

++++

The man sat on the hood of his car, parked very near the edge of a cliff that offered a panoramic view of the city below as it stretched out before him. The night was alive with the sounds of tiny animals and bugs as his presence had disrupted their peaceful nights rest.  He could relate to their restless anxiety.  His best laid plans had gone completely off the tracks and he had been forced to lay low for all of these months.  No one’s fault really; just life slapping him in the face again.  Check that… life had pretty much dropped a building on him and it takes a little while to regroup from a sneak attack like that.  He’d had a very long time to reevaluate his situation and understood that he had made several poor choices and misjudged his options. 

Perhaps he needed to set a totally new course of action? Or maybe he should ‘go with the flow’; something he had avoided doing for most of his life.  So much to think about and all he really wanted to do was… hunt.

 

++++

The following evening Bucky surprised her with a lovely bouquet of wildflowers (Nicole’s favorite) along with a fancy box topped with a huge red bow. Embarrassed that she hadn’t bought him a gift at all, tears began to form in her eyes and Bucky took her in his arms explaining, “Baby, I’ve been thinking about this and plotting a special celebration for months now.  I understand that besides working your butt off in the field and fighting off some kind of monster flu, you’ve have a lot of things on your mind; a lot of pressure.  I get that. 

“Bucky, that’s no excuse!! I should have known that when you said we should do ‘something special’ you really meant it. I’m so sorry…” her voice quivered as she buried her face against his chest.

“Nicole, stop. Please don’t do this… there’s no reason to be sorry.” Bucky had only wanted to give her a fun night out and it seemed to be backfiring.  “uh.. here!  Open the box… maybe you’ll hate it!!”  He sounded so hopeful, Nicole couldn’t stop the giggle that rose in her throat.  She sniffled loudly, then wiped the tears away and cleared her throat, before carefully lifting the lid from the box and pulling back the tissue paper. 

She gasped, “Oh!!! Oh my!  Bucky it’s beautiful!”  As she spoke she lifted a sparkly short  black dress up in front of her.  She pressed it close to her body and squealed again, “Bucky! Thank you!!”  Peeking at the tag she saw that it was exactly the right size and she grinned, “You are amazing… and way too good to me!”

Bucky just smiled and urged, “Go put it on!” He swatted her playfully on the bottom, “We have reservations to keep!”

“Do I have time for a quick shower?” she called out as she headed towards the bedroom.

Bucky nodded his head and sighed dramatically, “Yes… a VERY quick one!”

“Great!! I’ll be ready before you know it!” Nicole promised as he heard the water start running immediately.

After just 20 minutes, Nicole rejoined him in the living room, looking fresh and beautiful. The dress fit to perfection and she had pinned her hair on top of her head, just the way he liked it.  With just a touch of makeup and a dab of perfume, she was ready for a night out. He hoped she liked his surprise…

…

Bucky drove them to a lovely hotel a few miles out of town.  It was a bit on the small side, but quite charming; surrounded by gardens and nestled behind a blanket of trees… Nicole had never noticed it before even though she had traveled this route many times to visit Bucky’s house.  Taking her by the hand to guide her inside, Bucky smiled at her in that way of his and she felt her heart melting.  He was so perfect and she had no idea how she was lucky enough to be the one he wanted to be with.   She didn’t deserve him, but dear God in heaven, she was so thankful to have him!

Inside, the maître de escorted them to a banquet type room in the back and there she was greeted by nearly all of those present at the “taco party” where they had first ‘officially’ met. Tony, Pepper, Steve, Sharon, Wanda, Vision, Natasha, Sam were all there… only Clint and Maria had been unable to make it. The group mingled for a while and then was seated at one long table where their orders were taken. The room was actually quite lovely, with beautiful tile floors, giant pots of flowers and plants, gilded mirrors on the wall and a small private bar.  An amazing dessert table had been set up on one end with a placard that read “To the Sweetest Couple We Know… Happy Anniversary!”  Sharon explained that the treat table was a last minute ‘gift’ from the gang. 

Nicole could not remember the last time she had smiled so much. Or felt so relaxed.  Or was truly this happy.  That past year with Bucky had been amazing, but sometimes over-shadowed by the unsuccessful efforts to catch a killer that seemed to be smarter than a department full of experienced detectives, topped off by the unfortunate accident of her partner which had weighed heavily on her at times. It was such a wonderful feeling to just be with friends and the man she loved, living in the moment and relaxing.   It was a lovely night.

After a couple of hours, the doors that separated the banquet room from the rest of the dining area were opened so they could better hear the music that the small band was playing. Bucky pushed his chair back and took Nicole’s hand, “Dance with me.”  It wasn’t a question really and she smiled up at him, her eyes twinkling brightly.  “Of course.”

As soon as the couple moved to the open area, bodies pressed close, swaying to the music, everyone else in the room who could find a partner joined in. Nicole felt like she was dreaming.  She knew she had, yet again, had too much to drink, but it was more than that.  It was the heady beat of the music filtering through the air, coursing gently through her body.  It was Bucky, his hard body pressing into hers and the possessiveness of his strong hands promising to love and protect and care for her. It was the steady beat of his heart, the tenderness in his smile and the chill that coursed through her when his lips touched her ear to whisper sweet nothings that meant so much. 

Later, as the party broke up and everyone was hugging and saying goodnight, Bucky found himself smiling about how well the night had turned out. He had always been content to have Nicole all to himself, but it had dawned on him how little the two of them were getting out with ‘friends’ the past several months and he didn’t want to be that guy.

Tony stopped in front of him and to his surprise spoke quite sincerely, “Good job Barnes. Nice party and a very special woman.  I hope the two of you repeat this celebration for many years to come.”

“Thank you Tony… I’m glad that you and Pepper could join us… and I promise to do my part to make it a tradition for Nic and I”.

“Good man!” Tony patted him on the back then turned to grab Pepper’s arm and escort her out.

When Bucky turned around to see if Nicole was ready to leave, he laughed out loud at the sight. She had made her way back to the desserts and was now seated precariously on the edge of the table obviously enjoying a piece of coconut cake.  He didn’t realize just HOW short the dress he had bought for her really was but right now, the amount of slender leg winking at him from below it was quite tantalizing.  Taking her by the elbow, he carefully lifted her up as he turned to take her place on the table pulling her between his legs, holding her firmly there.  She only smiled and continued to eat her cake.

“You like that, huh?”

With a grin Nic nodded and offered him a bite. “Ummmm….this is really good,” Bucky opened his mouth wide for another bite. As she offered her fork full of creamy goodness he groaned and barely got the cake swallowed before she had attached her mouth to his in a hungry kiss. The little kitten sounds she made elicited an instant response from him as he grew hard, pulling her even closer. 

“Bucky,” she whispered “Take me home…”

“Yeah, okay,” his voice raspy as he considered desperately which was closer, his house or her apartment. “Which, where?” he couldn’t seem to form a sentence.

“My place,” was all she needed to say as he wrapped his arm around her waist and led her to the parking lot.   


They arrived safely after a somewhat reckless drive, filled with laughter and Nicole attempting to sing along loudly with a station that apparently knew exactly what she liked as she squealed “Ooh! This is my favorite song” at each new tune they played.  Taking the elevator to the 4th floor, and stumbling out into the empty hallway, Nicole seemed to be struggling with her key, unable to make it fit correctly.  Finally, Bucky took it from her hand and easily got the door open, ushering his tipsy kitten inside. 

She had already kicked her shoes off in the elevator and now, as Bucky turned to look at her, Nicole was desperately trying to reach the zipper behind her, “Help?” she giggled at him.

Bucky grinned, shook his head and motioned for her to turn around, but instead, she snaked her arms around his neck and peppered his face cheeks and chin and mouth with feverish kisses.

“Baby, let’s… let’s go to the bedroom,” he urged, knowing that her alcohol induced euphoria might crash soon.

“No… take me here, right here!” she removed her hands from his neck and began unbuckling his belt, his pants and tugging on his shirt to pull it free.

“Nic, baby, c’mon… this, this won’t work,” he was trying hard not laugh knowing that she was totally serious. He had no compunction about bending her over the couch right then and there, but he could also see how unsteady she was and really just wanted to get her to the bedroom. Bending down to reach behind her knees, he picked her up and carried down the short hall to her room; easy-peasy, right? No.  Nicole had left a pair of discarded shoes between the door and the bed and as she kept moving about, giggling and placing kisses on his neck and his now bare chest, he tripped over those shoes and fell forward onto the bed, jarring several slats free, bringing the whole bed crashing to the floor. 

After a moment of shocked silence, “Whoa!” was the first word uttered into the dark room. Nicole, partially crushed under the weight of the Winter Soldier looked around and then at Bucky. A wide smile cracked her face and she began to giggle and laugh and snort and then laugh and giggle some more.  Bucky laughed too.  The night had been pretty much perfect until then… and if this was the worst thing to happen, he’d call that a win!   Finally, her fit of laughter calmed down to an occasional chuckle and as Bucky loomed over her and began to caress her lips with slow sensual kisses, she seemed to remember where they had left off and pushing his shirt out of the way, she reached down and slipped her hands inside his boxers rubbing him, feeling him twitch and begin to grow hard at her touch. She quickly sat up to pull the dress over her head and toss it on the floor followed by her panties and everything that Bucky could get off in that 15 seconds of calm. 

Rolling her onto her back, he stroked her already wet folds and in just moments he was inside her, her warmth closing around him tightly as they moved together, her ankles hooked firmly on his muscular butt. He moved slowly at first enjoying the feel of skin on skin, her soft murmurs, tiny gasps and throaty moans, and the feel of her nails scraping his back and pulling his hair as they began to move faster until Bucky felt her body tremble as she reached her orgasm and he let go with her.

Afterwards, just as he suspected would happen, they settled down to snuggle together on their sides with his arm wrapped around her, and in no time he felt her sigh deeply as she dropped off to sleep. He kissed the back of her head and then grinned, hoping the bed was going to be an easy fix and wondering if she would even remember it falling when she woke up the next day.


	9. Chapter 9

 

Matt Kinsey was having coffee and reading the Sunday paper with his wife when his phone rang. He wanted to ignore it, tried to even, but his wife cleared her throat loudly to express her displeasure and he sighed picking it up with a frown on his face.

“Kinsey,” was all he said, his voice betraying his annoyance at being bothered on his day off. After only a few seconds, his demeanor changed as he listened to the voice on the other end of the line.  Grabbing a pocket-sized notebook from the coffee table, he jotted down an address, a couple of names and a phone number.  He mumbled his thanks and hung up, tapping his pen on the notebook, deep in thought.

 

Nicole had finally managed to drag herself out of bed and made her way to the shower. Bucky could hear the water running and smiled, knowing she likely had at least some degree of a hangover.  He had asked her once why she drank so much, not in a judging way but because he was curious.  She seemed to have her life so together; he couldn’t understand what she was running from.  In the end, wasn’t that why people drank in excess… to escape something they didn’t want to face?  To her credit, she didn’t get angry or upset when he asked; she simply sighed and said she didn’t know, before leaning in to him, wrapping her arms around him and pressing her head to his chest.  He decided then that it was a discussion for another day.

When her phone rang, he recognized the ringtone that played “Bad Boys” … and picked it up, “Hello…”

A brief pause then, “Hey, Bucky? How are you?”

“Hi Matt. I’m good, how about you?”

Bucky listened as Det. Kinsey explained that there had been another murder early that morning that had all the earmarks of one of their cold cases. “I know Nic is off today; so am I.  But our captain figured since we, especially Nicole, put so much work in on the other victims, she might want to have a shot at this one.”

“Right,” Bucky answered softly. He had hoped this particular case would not raise its ugly head again, but here it was.  “Ummm.. Nic is in the shower, do you want me to give her a message or just call you back or what?”

“Just have her give me a call please… and I’m really sorry about this.”

“Not your fault man… I’ll give her your message.”

“Thank you. I’ll be waiting.”

Both men hung up then; neither of them really wanting Nicole to get involved, but knowing it was probably the right thing to do.

About 15 minutes later, Nicole walked into the kitchen and sat at the small table with Bucky who was scanning the newspaper. He looked up and smiled at her, pointing at the aspirin, a glass of milk and a plate that was nearly covered by a huge bear claw he had picked up at the corner shop.   She swallowed the pills and took a couple of bites of the pastry before she noticed her phone was sitting on the counter and not on the coffee table where she had left it the night before.  Licking a small glob of gooey sweetness from her fingers she asked, “Did I miss a call?”

“Yeah… Matt called; asked that you give him a call back.”

“ummm… okay.” Nicole took another bite of the bear claw and drank a little more milk.  “What happened to the bed?” she asked quite nonchalantly. 

Bucky couldn’t hold back the smirk that rose to his lips. “We had, uh, a mishap on the way to bed last night.  Don’t you remember?”

With a snort she laughed out loud, “Yes, I actually DO remember. Who knew destroying the furniture could be such a turn on?”

He smiled and even managed to blush a little. “I think I can fix it… or buy you a new one or…maybe… let you sleep in mine.”

Bucky had been hinting for weeks that he thought they should move in to one place together, and since his house was quite a bit roomier, it seemed like the logical choice; only it would be a little longer commute for Nicole, who he noticed had so far, not made a move to return her partner’s phone call.

“Oh… well, I think that’s something we need to discuss for sure. I just… I better see what Matt needs.”

He stopped her as she reached for her phone. “There’s been another killing… he thought you might want to be a part of the investigation.”

“The “skinner”?” she asked him softly, dreading his answer.

“Seems that way.”

Nicole leaned back in her chair, not at all certain that she wanted to dredge up all those other unsolved crimes; even less sure that she wanted to get involved in a new one. What she wanted more than anything at the moment was a stiff drink.

“Nic?” he spoke for the second time. “Nicole? What is it?”

She turned to him with a pained look on her face, her voice barely above a whisper, “Bucky, I don’t think I can do it. I can’t do this anymore. I don’t… I can’t…”   She closed her eyes and breathed in slowly.  “Ok. Hand me my phone, please.”

Forty minutes later she stood in the middle of a crime scene, with lab techs and cops and reporters and onlookers feeling like they all wanted something from her that she didn't have in her to give. She wanted more than anything was to scream at them all to go away.  Instead, she listened as the coroner on sight gave them a preliminary report on the cause of death and surrounding circumstances.   It all seemed so familiar, yet not quite right.  It just didn’t add up in Nicole’s mind… something was missing.

The body was that of a young woman, first guess would indicate she had once been a working girl… but even that didn’t seem right. As she walked around the perimeter of the scene and studied the location from different angles, it seemed as if this girl had been special, important to the killer.  No trophies had been taken, at least none that were immediately evident; she was well dressed and clean.  She studied the woman’s face, wishing that for just a moment she could see through her eyes.

“Det. Wilson,” a voice called out over the buzz of other voices on the scene. Nicole recognized the woman and turned away from her… too late.

“Detective… I’m Carly Connors, Channel 5 News; can you tell our viewers if this murder is another of several unsolved serial killer cases you have been involved in?”

It took every ounce of her will power to keep from sucker punching the woman to the ground. Thankfully, Matt was standing near enough that he heard it all and simply responded, “No comment,” before taking Nicole by the arm and walking her away from the scene.

“Matt… I’m not feeling well. I’m going home.” Nicole was already digging in her bag for her car keys.

“Nicki, wait. Don’t let that woman get to you.  We need to work this case.  YOU need to work this case.”

“No. No I don’t.  I can’t. Not, right now.  If you want, you can drop by my place later and fill me in on any details you think I should know.  I just can’t do this today.”

“Okay… you do look a little pale. I’ll let you know if anything out of the ordinary comes up.  And I’ll see you in the office tomorrow… right?”

Nicole nodded at him and sighed, “Right. I’ll see you tomorrow… Thank you Matt.”

“No problem kid. Get some rest.”

When she walked into the apartment, she spotted Bucky’s note immediately.

_“Hey doll, I figured you’ll be at it all day, so when Rick called and asked if I could help him out with a special project at HIS house, I said okay… so that’s where I am._

_If you need me for anything… and I mean ANYTHING, you call me and I’ll come running, I promise._

_Love you kitten._

_Buck”_

Her eyes immediately filled with tears as she held the note up to her face. She sniffed a little and could smell him.  Beneath the almost minuscule aroma of his cologne and the smoky, musty, man-scent of him there was more.  It was him; it was his aura, it was Bucky… and she breathed in deeply and savored it; that tiny little bit of him that she held in her hands.

Jaw set, she grabbed a Coke from the fridge and walked over to the wall safe. Folding back several folders and small envelopes that held a few important documents that she had been meaning to take over to her Safety Deposit Box, she pulled out the departmental envelope that she had brought home and tucked away.  She grabbed a yellow tablet from the side table and sat curled up on the couch.  As she pulled the material out of the large envelope, a half piece of paper fluttered out and fell to the floor.  It was a note from her friend Stephanie who had run the report for her.

_“Hey woman! I’m not exactly sure what you are looking for, but I think this program worked out like you wanted… at least it looks pretty, right?_

_Let me know if you have any questions._

_Steph”_

Nicole felt a twinge of guilt that she hadn’t even opened the report before now; which meant she hadn’t given Stephanie the thanks she deserved. “Shit,” she whispered out loud, “I suck.”

With a deep sigh, she began reading the results, jotting down notes and pulling up case files on her laptop as she sorted through all of the numbers. When she finished, she sat for a long moment and then started over from the beginning only to end up with the same exact result. Her chest hurt and her hands began shaking.  She still could not believe what she was seeing.  There had to be some variable that she hadn’t thought of, some kind of explanation. Grabbing her keys she started for the door, and went back to the safe to grab her “off duty” weapon… just in case.

While he and Rick stopped working for a quick lunch, Bucky gave Nicole a call that went straight to voicemail.  He had pretty much expected her to be busy, so the only message he left was “I love you baby; every silky smooth inch of you. uhhh… this is Bucky.”  He hoped she would think that was as funny as he did.

Calling in a couple of favors and promising a few others, Nic found herself tucked in a corner of the Personnel Department, going through a handful of  ‘private’ files.  She had given the clerk extra names, so he wouldn’t even know which one she was really interested in.  It only took her a matter of minutes to find what she was looking for.  As she jotted down the routing numbers, she almost stopped and tore up the paper she was writing on.  Was she really doing this?  Did she really want to risk all of the trouble she could get into?  If she was right, would any of this crap really matter?  “Fuck, fuck, fuck!” she whispered under breath and finished what she had started.  After about three or four minutes and shuffling the files around several times so there would be no way to tell which one she had really been looking at, she handed them back to the clerk with a bright smile and a cheery “Thank you!” and then walked straight to the ladies room to throw up.

Next stop; the library. They had recently installed top of the line p.c.’s for public use and offered lots of privacy.  She pulled out the directions that the clerk in personnel had given her and managed to easily  pull up checking and savings account files **that were not her own**.  Easy. So damn easy.  No wonder so many people used the internet for illegal purposes.  It only took a few minutes for her to get the addresses she was after and when she was finished, she started coughing lightly before pulling a soft cloth out of her purse to "cough" into and then wipe down the keyboard and mouse she had used.

Matt Kinsey was slightly bewildered.  This, this was almost certainly the same killer that had eluded them for so long.  Same hunting ground; same victimology; same careful presentation of the body.  Only there were no trophies taken; no sign of struggle and as yet, no indication of the weapon used. He didn’t know what had set his partner off earlier, but he felt certain that she recognized something about the scene and that she was convinced it was their serial killer as well.  

He liked Nicole a lot, she knew her stuff and she worked hard, but lately she had seemed distant, not with him personally, but with the whole job. He had seen officers suffering from burn-out before and he was pretty sure, that’s what was happening with her.  He hoped not… he would hate to lose her.  He picked up his cell and sent her a lengthy text that wrapped up what he had been able to ascertain so far.  Most of the labs he needed were closed on Sunday, so he was calling it a day and going home.  They could discuss it all in detail Monday morning.

Nicole had never been very good with the lock-pick, so she struggled a few seconds before getting the door to open.  She knew she was treading on thin ice now, having no way of knowing if or when he might show up.  She had been stunned to find that he owned several properties, some commercial, some personal and even a couple of rentals.  So far, her searches were coming up empty, but she was taking her time, careful to cover her tracks and disturb nothing, leaving no evidence that the places had been searched.  It was getting late in the day and she was feeling the stress deep in her bones.  Bucky would probably be home soon or at the very lease expecting a call from her, so this was her last stop for the day. 

She opened several desk drawers and a filing cabinet, seeing nothing that looked out of the ordinary. Opening a closet door she found a huge stash of flex-folders, all filled to the brim.  “Shit,” she had no desire to rifle through all that paper, not right now.  She pulled out one file and ran her fingers through the pages.  Looked like a lot of receipts and maintenance reports and more stuff that was probably of no use to her.  She wondered how in the hell he found the time to deal with all of this….  “Hello” she whispered as she came across a couple of out of date calendars. 

Car lights flashed across the wall of the office she was in and she pulled the calendars out of the file, tied it back up and put it back where it belonged. She closed the closet door, pushed in the desk drawer and the chair that she had sat in, clicked off the small flashlight she had been using and quickly moved to the hallway and out the back door she had picked.  Thank God there had been no alarm because she swore she heard the front door opening as she closed the back one!  She jumped the ledge behind the building and cut through the lot of the building behind it, trying not to openly run to her car that was parked another block away. 

As she drove home, she kept checking her mirrors to make sure no one was following her. It seemed like she had made it away without being detected, but still, she couldn’t stop shaking.


	10. Chapter 10

 

Bucky was whistling as he stepped off the elevator and approached Nicole’s apartment. He’d had a good day with Rick, helping him build a very impressive ‘she-shed’ for his wife, Nancy.  He had met her a couple of times, but hadn’t really formed an opinion of her before today.  He thought maybe she was… a little high maintenance for his taste, but also very nice and easy to be around.  She had wanted her own she-shed for a couple of years and of course, the rule of thumb is: painter’s houses need to painted, auto mechanics drive the worst cars, and carpenters don’t feel like building shit when they aren’t working… or at least that seemed to be the way of it.  So finally, today Rick had called on Bucky to help him build the damn thing so she might find something else to nag him about. 

He had to laugh because it was clear how much they loved each other and that Rick loved the attention, but he loved complaining about it just as much. Bucky hoped that he and Nicole would be together for as long as these two had been and still love it as much as they did.

When he walked into the apartment, he was surprised to find it dark; he had seen Nic’s car in the lot. He heard her sniffle before he saw her as she came from somewhere nearby and wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his chest.

“Hey, what's this? … What’s wrong baby? What’s happened?”

She looked at him, eyes barely visible in the still dark room, “I’ve had a very bad day.” With those words she began to sob into his shoulder, the sound of it breaking his heart.  Bucky just held on to her for several minutes, rubbing her back and whispering assurances that it would be alright… wondering helplessly what could be wrong.

Finally he guided her to the couch flipping on a couple of lights as they walked and saw that she had been working on some kind of project, papers and calendars and stuff scattered about on the coffee table. He asked her if she wanted something hot to drink and she shook her head so he pulled her close again and whispered in her ear as he stroked hair, “Want to tell me what happened?”

She nodded and sat up to blow her nose but otherwise, was quiet for a long time. He waited, understanding that whatever it was, it was big. Picking up some of the pages from the table she stacked them together to straighten them up, took a deep breath and said simply, “You were right.”

Nicole cleared her throat and spoke barely above a whisper. “You were right Bucky and I had proof and I… I didn’t do anything about it before it was too late. I could have saved that girl, but I didn’t want to believe it.  I killed that girl.” She began sobbing again and he pulled her back  into his arms.

It suddenly dawned on him what she was saying and he felt her pain as if it was his own. He let her cry a little while longer and then pushed her slightly away from his chest.  “No. Whatever has happened, YOU didn’t kill anyone.  I don’t, and **I won’t** believe that, ever.”  He grabbed a tissue from the box on the table and handed it to her.  “Now, start from the beginning and tell me what is going on.” 

Nodding, she cleared her throat again, composing herself in stages. When she was ready, she told him everything, starting with the spread sheet she had asked for months earlier and then ignored;  finishing with her afternoon of illegal espionage.

“It was him Bucky. All along it was him… HOW could I not see it? How could I be so stupid?  How do I make this right?” her voice was straining again as the tears welled up once more.

Bucky was stunned. He pushed his hair back from his face and leaned his head back, closing his eyes and taking several deep breaths.  That son of a bitch Joe Nash had sat in this very living room and laughed when Bucky suggested that the killer was a cop when all the while… Oh God!!  Bucky jerked forward in his chair as he thought of all the times that Nicki had been alone with that man; all the times they had been on stake outs; the times they had shared meals and laughed together. He felt so betrayed he couldn’t even imagine how Nic felt.

“Nicole, I want you to listen to me. You have to stop blaming yourself and you… we have to finish this. He’ll know that you are on to him, don’t ask me how, but I'm sure he’s that smart.  He’ll have his own sources feeding him information… there’s no way he could have managed all of this without help, even if they didn’t realize what he was truly up to.”

She stared at him wide-eyed. The thought that he may have used innocent people to help in his disgusting games had never occurred to her. 

“What do I do?” she asked, her spirit clearly broken.

“We check out those other buildings, tonight. See if there is any clear cut incriminating evidence we can bank on.  Whether we find it or not, you get a couple of hours of sleep and first thing in the morning, we talk to your supervisor… the FBI, anybody who will listen and get the warrants and any other bullshit you need to take Nash in.”

“Bucky…” she started and he touched his fingers to her lips.

“I’ll be with you, every step of the way. Nothing is going to happen to you, I’ll see to that.”

Nicole sighed, her body actually relaxing a bit for the first time all day. “Okay. Thank you for... I don’t know what I would do without you, I really, really don’t.”

Smiling his Cheshire cat smile he agreed, “Well then, it’s a damn good thing you’ll never have to find out. You, pretty lady, are stuck with me.”

She kissed him then and he could feel her body shaking slightly.

“I’ll bet you haven’t eaten anything since those couple of bites you had this morning…let me warm up some of that soup we made yesterday and throw together a couple of grilled cheese sandwiches. We should wait for a couple of hours and let the other businesses close before we head out anyway, and you **need** to eat something, right?” 

“I’ll try,” she nodded at him. Bucky doubted that she would get much of anything down, but it was worth a try. 

Nicole dug her phone out of her bag and read Matt’s text, then listened to Bucky’s message. That actually dragged a giggle from her. Bucky winked at her, glad to see that she was feeling at least a tiny bit better.

After their light meal, they sat side by side on the couch as Nicole shuffled through the pages she had been studying earlier; pointing out the dates, the cell towers that had pinged Joe's location and the times, lining up perfectly with the crime scenes.  Bucky listened closely and couldn't help the look he gave her when she explained how she had managed to obtain all of Joe's bank and property information. 

"I know... best case scenario, they fire me. Worst case?  We can hope they allow you conjugal visits."

"Nic... you don't know that for sure," Bucky was trying to sound positive, be he knew she was right; one way or another, she was probably going to lose her job over this.

"Bucky, even if, and that's a big 'if', even if they let me off scot free... I'm done. I can't do this anymore.  This job that I thought I loved so much; I really don't love it at all.  I hate it... being submersed in the sadistic darkness of it all... being witness to the results of the evil that men do to each other.  I don't want to be a part of this, not anymore."

Bucky took her hands in his, "Nicole, I'm with you no matter what happens... and when this is all over, if you still want to quit, I will absolutely support that decision. But how about we let this all play out first, then see how you feel about it."

She nodded at him and rested her head comfortably on his shoulder. He wanted to say something comforting but opted to just stay quiet and hold her close.  Honestly, he was more worried about the possibility of her going to jail for stepping over that very thin line of illegal search and seizure and invasion of privacy than he was about her having a job or not.  He would talk to Nick Fury and see if he could be of any assistance.

 

Two hours later they made their way to the final two locations that were legal properties of Joseph G. Nash. One of them was a modest sized storage unit facility.  Once inside the office, they shuffled through all the drawers that held mostly application forms and pre-printed instructions and contracts. There was a small safe, but it was open and empty.  Everything looked legit and during the short time they were there, a handful of vehicles entered through the security gate, spent a few minutes at their particular storage unit and left with no strange looking behavior. 

"I don't know about this place Nic... it all seems on the up and up. Do you want to check any of the units?" Bucky really hoped not... they could be here all night.

"Nope. I think you are right.  Let's get out of here and hit the warehouse building."

Making sure that all of the customers were gone, they locked the office and walked across the lot to her car, climbing in and heading out to their last stop.

 

When they reached the building that the legal documents had referred to as a warehouse, several things seemed 'off' right away; they were both surprised at how small it was; There was no name on the building to identify what might be stored and/or distributed from inside; and there were several open windows on the top floor, so it appeared there was no alarm system to get past.  On a whim, Bucky grabbed the door knob and grunted in surprise when he gave it a twist and it turned easily in his hand.  He turned to see Nicole pulling out her gun and releasing the safety... she was taking no chances.

Technically, he had no authority and no reason to be there, so against his nature, he allowed her to gently push the door open with her foot and enter before him. She took several cautious steps, allowing her eyes to adjust to the darkness... Bucky's vision, genetically enhanced, was much better and his eyes darted back and forth in every direction, trying to determine if they were walking into some kind of trap.

Nicole used her phone flashlight to get a better sense of the layout and was confused to see nothing, absolutely nothing. No shelves, no boxes, no tables or desks... no phones or cables, nothing.  Bucky made his way to the back corner where two offices sat. After a quick peek in each of them he turned to her and shrugged, shaking his head.  Empty.  She walked to the set of wooden stairs, in the opposite corner and grabbed the railing.

"Buck? Do you smell that?  It's like, formaldehyde or something?"

"Yes," he didn't like this and he grabbed her arm, "Nic, let me go first."

She gave him a look that would have made many a man shake in their boots."Damn it!" he groaned inwardly, wishing to hell he was geared up in his Winter Soldier garb. To his surprise, Nicole turned and touched his face softly, giving him a reassuring smile before starting up the staircase.

As they reached the top the odor was much, much stronger and Nic lifted the bottom of her shirt to cover her mouth and nose. This floor had apparently served as a loft apartment.  There was an area that should have been the living room, but no furniture other than a stainless steel table. There was some metal shelving that held some very peculiar looking specimens and the kitchen counter top was lined with several empty jars as well. 

Bucky checked out the bedroom area that looked as if it HAD been used sometime recently, but the closet and chest of drawers were empty and there was nothing in the small bathroom. He gave her a nod and pointed at the small refrigerator that was humming softly.  Nicole was reaching for the handle when her hand froze in mid-air.  She made a small gargled noise as it dawned on her what those specimens jars were filled with.  She faced Bucky who was just peering into one of the jars and turned to warn her at the same moment.  

"It's skin, isn't it?" she asked softly, not really wanting to know.

He nodded at her and watched in horror as she grabbed the handle and jerked the refrigerator door open. Expecting the worst, he ran to her side and looked in... nothing but a business sized envelope with "Det. N. Wilson" written on it.    Nicole's reaction surprised him, a little. 

"God damn motherfucking son of a bitch asshole!!" she yelled loudly. She was angry... and sad and sick and confused, but mostly angry.

She grabbed the envelope (they had slipped on rubber gloves before they entered the building), slammed the fridge door and pulled the flap of the envelope out, revealing the note inside.  Nic was trembling she was so angry and Bucky placed his hand on the small of her back, needing to be close to her.

_"Nicole,_

_I know you are disappointed in me. And I wish I could say I am sorry.  In fact, I am sorry that you got caught up in all of this... However I am not sorry for the things I've done, and I think if you look objectively at the patterns of each of my victim's lives you will agree that every one of them is better off now than if I had left them on their own._

_I always knew you were very good at what you do and that you would eventually start putting pieces together that would lead you to me, but when you joined forces with the "A" team, I knew it would probably be sooner rather than later.  And I was right.  I don't know why  you sat on that spreadsheet for so long. I'm going to pretend it's because you cared enough about me to not investigate, but somehow, I doubt that is the reason._

_Don't blame yourself. All of this is my doing and I gladly take the blame, credit, whatever.  This is just who I am and what I felt I needed to do._

_Obviously, I intend to be long gone by the time you find this. If things work right, we'll never meet again.  And if they don't, hopefully, we still won't. Take care of your man Bucky and let him take care of you.  He's been good for you and he can make you happy.  You deserve that, and a lot more.  I left a few things in your locker at work... should help clear up a few questions and maybe keep you off the hook with the higher-ups._

_Anyway, this is goodbye. I enjoyed working with you, I really did, and in my own way, I will miss you._

_Don't look back..._

_Joe"_

 

Bucky watched as Nicole's face went from a ghostly white to beet red, and all the while she held that letter so tightly in her fist he thought her skin would melt right through it. Finally, she groaned miserably and turned to face the small sink and throw up the remains of the dinner she had managed to get down earlier.

"Nicki, babe, it... it's not alright, but it will be. I promise, it's going to be ok."

"Yeah," her voice was shaky "... except for the crime scene I just contaminated with my grilled cheese sandwich." She turned on the faucet and thankfully, the water was still running.  She rinsed the sink out and then rinsed her mouth out as well.  Bucky wanted to take her home, but she insisted on calling Matt and asking him to meet them there. 

 

In the hours that followed, Nicole was hauled off to the station, interrogated, grilled by her immediate supervisor and reported as a "possible person of interest or even an accomplice" in a whole list of crimes on the early morning news shows. Through it all she remained calm, answered every question to the best of her ability, repeating parts of the story over and over so many times she could recite it in her sleep.  She easily passed a lie detector test and offered no excuses for Joe or her lack of recognizing what was happening.

It was late-afternoon of the following day when Nicole was finally allowed to go home. She had been stripped of her badge and gun, placed on administrative leave pending a full investigation; her head pounding  and her heart broken.  Bucky stayed close at hand through it all, quietly supporting her, lending her his strength just by being there.

The drive home was silent. Bucky wanting to give her time to work through what had happened as Nicole stared out the window, her mind that maybe should have been spinning wildly, was mostly a blank.  When they walked into her apartment, she kicked her shoes off and sighed deeply.  Bucky smiled sweetly at her and she immediately went him, seeking the comfort of his arms as she leaned into him, resting her head on his chest.  After a few minutes, he asked, "Is there anything I can do for you?"

Gazing up at his crystal blue eyes, she shook her head lightly, "No... I think... I think what I need right now is a hot shower and a cozy bed. And maybe somebody to share it with..."

Kissing the top of her head, Bucky smiled again, "I tell ya what. I need to make a few phone calls... our friends have been texting all day.  You go ahead and take your shower and I will join you in a few minutes.  How does that sound?"

"Sounds good. I'll save a place for you..."

Bucky nodded and watched as she walked towards the bedroom... holding her head high, not about to allow the things that had happened over the past hours to get her down. God how he loved her!!  He called Rick first to let him know that he wouldn't be able to work with him for a few days; then he spoke with Steve, Nat, Wanda and Vision who were all together at a favorite coffee shop in town.  They each voiced their concern and love for Nicole and he told them how grateful he and Nic were to have their understanding and support.  His friends suggested that the two of them move into a suite at the compound for a while; she would be safe there from prying eyes, reporters and any other kind of trouble that might arise. Bucky thought that was a good idea and promised them he that he would discuss it with her.

When he finished his call, he went back to the bedroom to find Nicole had finished her shower and was toweling her hair dry.   When she patted the bed, he sat down on the edge with her and turned slightly to give her a warm kiss. Her stomach growled loudly and they both laughed, Bucky asking if she would like him to order a couple of sandwiches from their favorite deli... their food was always delicious and they delivered.  He was not about to leave her alone right now.  She agreed and he went to the kitchen to dig out the menu and phone number and by the time he got back, Nicole was curled up under the blankets, fast asleep. 

Bucky ordered the sandwiches putting them in the fridge when they arrived 20 minutes later. He stripped down to his boxers then crawled into bed next to her, gently wrapping his arm around her and pulling her near. His mind was filled with crazy thoughts and emotions and a desire to keep Nicole safe, no matter what it took. It wasn't long before he joined her in a deep sleep, each of them so exhausted that neither of them moved for several hours.


	11. EPILOGUES ONE, TWO, THREE

 

                                                       EPILOGUE - ONE

 

Several days later, Bucky and Nicole moved into the Avengers compound and settled into a comfortable routine, surrounded by friends and the assurances that all the turmoil would pass soon and their lives would get back to normal before they knew it.

As it turned out, the police investigation and Nicole's suspension lasted for many weeks. Joe continued to evade capture and with no other suspects in the 'skinner' case the authorities questioned her several more times, but her answers and account of the events never changed.  The information that Joe had left in her locker specifically set the record straight regarding Nic's involvement, exonerating  his former partner from any malfeasance or deliberate misconduct on her part; for whatever the word of a confessed serial killer was worth...

For her part, Nicole was ready to turn in her papers and resign from the force, but Bucky wanted her to wait it out. He was fine with her quitting, to start over and to do... whatever she chose to do, but he believed it was important that she first be legally cleared, on the record, of any wrongdoing.  He didn't want any doubt of her innocence hanging over her head.  He had lived that way himself because of his own past and wanted better for her.

In the end, four months later, Nicole was cleared of all pending charges (none had ever been officially filed) and she was contacted by personnel to come in and fill out forms to get her back to work. She agreed to come in, but not to be reinstated.  Instead she dropped by the station to hand in her letter of resignation and say goodbye to a handful of co-workers that she would truly miss.  She smiled as she recalled her conversation with Bucky and how touched he was that she was seeking his advice on something that was so important and by rights was her decision to make. The tender smile on his face when she admitted to him that she was a little bit afraid to leave behind the only thing she had ever been good at but that she believed that with his support, she could do it... could do anything; that smile was etched in her heart and mind for all time.

Of course it wasn't that easy, nothing ever is. After she quit the department, Nicole suffered from horrific nightmares, often waking Bucky up with her moans of fear or screams of terror. He was very familiar with nightmares and understood how unsettling and harmful they could be.  He convinced her to see a specialist, to talk about the things that maybe she was not comfortable talking over with him.  She fought the idea at first, claiming that she wasn't hiding anything and that she had told him everything.  She had a handful of sessions with the psychiatrist and afterwards she confided to Bucky how horribly responsible she felt for not realizing what Joe had been up to from the beginning; how embarrassing it was that she had been so inept as a detective and that she was afraid that their friends would think she was a joke.  And occasionally she worried that Joe would come back and kill again, just to remind everyone that he was smarter than her.  Most of all she was afraid that Bucky was ashamed of her.

It took a few serious conversations and more than a few tears, but they worked it out and before too long, their lives got back to their 'new normal' of life at the Avenger's compound.  


+++ He sat on the beach, the warm sand beneath his feet the sun baking down on his deeply tanned skin.  He squinted his eyes as he watched the pretty blonde, splashing in the surf, playing tag with two young children.  Their laughter filled the air and he couldn't help but smile, enjoying the perfect day.  He had been following the reports on the internet, careful to not do a direct search but scanning through several  papers each day.  When he read that Nicole had been cleared of any involvement in the 'skinner' case, he had been relieved and happy that she was now free to do whatever she wanted. 

He was free too, having managed to put his former urges to rest; the flame of desire to hunt seemingly doused by his new life. Before Nicole had found them, no one had known about his large inheritance or the money he had earned from those businesses that he had owned while working as cop... He had enough saved up to last him a lifetime and had set up a handsome trust fund for his children to access when they came of age.  He also deposited a large amount in his ex-wife's account that should keep them all comfortable for several years.

He still felt no remorse for the lives he had taken. Each of them had been a criminal, thugs, junkies, whores or in a couple of cases, terminally ill and facing a slow incredibly painful ending to their lonely lives and he truly believed he had done them and society a favor.  At times, he wished he could have explained his actions to Nicole.  He knew that she probably felt betrayed more than anyone else he had left behind.  Chances were that she still would not understand and certainly not approve, but maybe she might not feel quite so bad?  Maybe in a couple of years he could chance looking in on her, secretly of course, just to see how she was doing?  

Yes... he would do that, when the time was right.

For now though, the sky was blue, the ocean was warm and life was good. Very, very good. +++

 

                                                      EPILOGUE - TWO

 

Eight months passed with no sign of Joe, it was as if he had disappeared off the face of the Earth. The story stayed in the news for months and Nicole continued to have the bad dreams for a while, but they came fewer and farther between, fading away, just as distant and cold as the case had become. Then one day, while Bucky was out of the country with the team, Nic had thought that she saw Joe in a parking lot, far in the distance... she'd had that feeling that someone was watching her and when she looked around she saw a dark figure that reminded her of her old partner.  Instead of freaking out, she smiled as she recalled some of the good times they had shared.  He had gone down a very dark path in the end, but they had been friends, at least she thought so, for a while.  After that, the dreams stopped.

When he returned from the mission, Bucky could sense a change in Nicole. She seemed totally at ease and was smiling and teasing and pretty much being the woman who had attracted him so much and then easily captured his heart over a year before. He was ready for them to take the next step in their relationship.  He wanted them to live in a home of their own, have kids, live happily ever after.

"Truth or Dare?" he asked with a devilish grin as they sat in their suite; the television a low mumble in the background as Nic flipped through a magazine and he set his crossword puzzle to the side.

"What?" she pretended she hadn't heard him, wondering just what he was up to.

"Truth or Dare? he enunciated the words for her and she grinned, rolling her eyes.

After an unusually long pause as she scrunched her face and looked to heaven for help, Nicole sighed and shook her head before she replied.

"Dare."...

... Two months later, Bucky and Nicole were married by Tony Stark on his yacht, of which he was the captain and therefore qualified (and quite happy) to perform the ceremony! It was a perfect evening...the weather was warm with a gentle breeze, the water calm and serene.  The boat had been decked out in flowers and ribbons everywhere you looked. Every available seat had been occupied and the couple could not have been any more beautiful or perfectly matched.  Soft music played as Steve walked Nicole to the makeshift altar, handing her off to Bucky and taking his place beside the groom as his best man.  After the vows had been recited and the exchange of rings, fireworks exploded in the air above them and they kissed their first kiss as a married couple. 

The party that followed lasted well into the night, long after Bucky and Nicole had been shuttled to the airport for their flight to a resort island off the coast of Belize. They honeymooned for two weeks, enjoying just being together  as well as the sights, sounds, taste and atmosphere of island life. One morning, Nic awoke feeling particularly lazy and although Bucky didn't want to leave her alone, she convinced him that she was going to be perfectly content to lay on the deck outside their rooms and listen to the ocean waves "while she slept"; so he might as well go on that fishing expedition he had read about and shown so much interest in the day before.

"Okay little kitten... I'm out the door to meet the fishing boat. Promise me that if you need anything  you will call and let me know.  I'll swim back if I need to."

She kissed him softly and mumbled, "Go. Have fun.  I promise I will be fine."

Bucky had never been deep sea fishing and he found that it was very enjoyable and that he was quite good at it. He spent 5 hours out on the boat and when they came to shore, he donated everything he had caught to a local charity that always had representatives on the dock when the boats came in.  He had pictures to prove what he caught and he was pretty sure that Nic would not mind him giving it away.  As he was sharing one final beer with one of the men he had fished with all afternoon, he spotted someone who looked oddly familiar, but he was pretty far away and surrounded by a crowd of people, so he wasn't sure.  He **couldn't** be sure...

On the way back to the resort he gave Nicole a call and she sounded much better than she had that morning, asking questions about his day's adventure.  They spoke for a few minutes and he began to relax, now certain what he needed to do.   When he got back to their rooms, he shared the pictures he had taken and told her several amusing stories about the guys he had spent the day with;  she laughed happily, her smile radiant, eyes twinkling.  They decided to have dinner at the hotel restaurant and later went for a relaxing walk on the beach before heading back to their room for the night. He watched her as she slept, a soft smile playing at the corners of his mouth.  He loved her more than he had ever believed possible and for some crazy reason, she loved him back.  He had promised to take care of her, to keep her safe and so he would, the only way he knew how.  

+++

Bucky slipped out of bed careful to avoid waking her. He dressed quickly, all in black and stepped outside to meet the man he had shared drinks with earlier.  They spoke very little, the man handed Bucky a slip of paper and a locker key.  Bucky handed him a wad of money. An hour later, he stood in the dark kitchen of a medium sized home, tucked on the hillside with a lovely ocean view; his breathing calm, his voice steady as spoke in a soft voice. 

"You didn't run far enough, and I can't; I won't take the chance that your new found sanity will last."

"Bucky, man, you don't need to do this. I swear to you, I never, ever had any intention of hurting Nicki... I still don't."  Joe's voice quavered, just a little.  He knew he was in trouble.  The look of hatred, the venom in Bucky's voice told him, he probably wasn't getting out of this alive.

Joe, like most people who had met Bucky, but never spent a lot of time with him, had no idea how close to the surface his Winter Soldier personality lingered, every moment of every day; held in check by sheer power of will and the love of his wife and friends.

"Look... You are supposed to be one of the good guys, right? You can't just come in here and kill me with no provocation.  That would make you almost as bad as me."  Joe was desperate.  He didn't want anyone else in the house to wake up and walk in on them.  He didn't want to leave the house with Bucky because he was fairly certain he wouldn't be coming back. 

"Right. So open the door, and run." Nicole would not have recognized Bucky.  He was ruthless, heartless and unyielding.

Bucky pointed the gun at the frightened man and motioned towards the same door he had so easily entered through. "Move.  Unless you want those people sleeping upstairs to find you in a bloody heap in the morning."

Joe tried to protest and Bucky stepped closer to him, whispering in his ear, "RUN!"

Joe ran. But this time, he didn't get away.

+++

Back at the hotel, Bucky heaved a giant sigh of relief as he slid back into bed, barely an hour before Nicole woke up. 

                                                     

 

                                                         EPILOUGE - THREE

 

Once they returned from their honeymoon, Bucky and Nicole made the move from the Avenger's compound to the house he had begun work on all those months ago. After a weekend of unpacking boxes, arranging and then re-arranging furniture, including the items they'd had in storage, the place looked homey and warm and comfortable.  They invited everyone that helped them move to join them for dinner and served pizza, salad, drinks and dessert delivered from the local pizza pub.  Only one item was broken in the process and everyone had a good time.

Bucky continued to work with the Avengers when needed and did carpentry work with Rick and even some on his own when time allowed. Nicole went to work at the only library in town, pretty much running the whole show.  The pay wasn't that great, but she had gotten a nice severance package from the PD upon her retirement.   She also activated a hefty trust fund that her parents had set up for her many, years before.  Between the two of them, they wanted for nothing.

She asked Bucky once if they needed to worry about Joe coming back. He gave her a look she had never seen before or since and simply said, "No. We're good." They never talked about Joe again... there didn't seem to be any reason to.  

It wasn't too very long before they welcomed a set of twin girls into their home and hearts. And the following year a handsome baby boy.  Bucky finally had everything he had ever wanted; a real home, a wife and children.  Life was perfect and all because of a blind date and a game of truth or dare.

 

The End.


End file.
